


Dance on a Narrow Ledge

by knittycat99, nubianamy



Series: The Donutverse [30]
Category: Glee
Genre: Ballet, Dancing, Discipline, Dom/sub, Donutverse, M/M, Multi, Multiple Partners, Polyamory, Summer Camp, Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-14
Updated: 2012-08-14
Packaged: 2017-11-12 02:41:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 82,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/485768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knittycat99/pseuds/knittycat99, https://archiveofourown.org/users/nubianamy/pseuds/nubianamy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“This one time, at music camp...?”  Finn, Kurt, and Mike are roommates at B-W.  Mike has questions, Finn has feelings, and Kurt takes care of it.  What happens at music camp stays at music camp, or does it?  Set in a future Donutverse, summer before senior year.  Art by Emilywritescrap.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. April 2011 (Junior Year)

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: m/m/m sex - lots and lots of it, as well as Dom/sub, mild discipline (spanking), and occasional mild dubcon. 
> 
> We love our boys, but they pretty much tell us the way the story goes. There might be some surprises here, even if you are a long time Donutverse reader, and lots of spoilers for the current story and even things we haven't written yet. You can read it without having read the rest of the series, but... I might not recommend it? In any case, complete summaries of the Donutverse, story by story through the end of season 1 (including spoilers), can be found at: http://archiveofourown.org/works/292318
> 
> Art by Emilywritescrap, and betaed by the fantastic Supergreak - thank you, both of you!! 
> 
> The ballet variation Mike works on with Toby is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLItQ3vFUZk This video is the entire pas de deux, but the solo begins at 3:22.
> 
> Enjoy. -nubianamy and knittycat99

_Here's what you missed on Glee, Donutverse version: Finn and Kurt are secret boyfriends, and they're also part of a polyamorous relationship with Puck and Blaine. The boys all practice D/s, and Finn is Kurt's Top even though they both play different roles in other relationships. Mike is dating Tina, but has a secret crush on Finn. Mr. Schue is gay, but now he's dating Emma. His ex-boyfriend Toby Grey went over to the dark side by becoming the choreographer for Vocal Adrenaline, and we all know how the Glee kids feel about Vocal Adrenaline. But Toby's really a nice guy, and he teaches weekend dance lessons to Brittany, Mike, and Kurt. Darius Mitchell is an actor who met Kurt and Toby a year ago when they were all in a community theater production of RENT together. His cousin Irene Tibideaux runs a coffeehouse in Columbus, which is where Finn first met Blaine in sophomore year. Darius is also a good guy, and he's a counselor at the summer camp Finn, Mike and Kurt go to at Baldwin-Wallace College, before senior year. And that's what you missed on Glee, Donutverse version._

**0M0**

_Whenever you're ready_  
 _I've got the car and the engine running  
_ _It's such a bore when you know what's coming all the time_

_Whenever you're ready_  
 _To slam the door 'til the hinges fly  
_ _Trace an arc cross the big blue sky_

_It's always gonna be hard  
_ _To take things a little too far_

_Na na na na, c'mon baby_  
 _Na na na na, yeah it's crazy_  
 _Na na na na, I'll be waiting whenever you're ready  
_ _Whenever you're ready_

_Whenever you're ready_  
 _To light a match and to burn some bridges  
_ _Try to dance on a narrow ledge that's way too high_

_Whenever you're ready_  
 _To give it up or to just give in_  
 _The more you lose hell the more you win  
_

_In spite of all of your plans  
_ _It's always been out of your hands_

_Na na na na, c'mon baby_  
 _Na na na na, yeah it's crazy_  
 _Na na na na, I'll be waiting whenever you're ready  
_ _Whenever you're ready_

\- Mary Chapin-Carpenter, "Whenever You're Ready"

**0M0**

**Chapter One: April 2011 (Junior Year)**

Toby held back, fiddling with the cd player while Kurt and Mike packed up their things. They didn't usually talk to each other, but without Brittany there as a buffer they had made quiet conversation throughout the lesson, and Mike had helped Kurt through the trickier parts of the combinations Toby had given them. He was surprised, really, that the boys weren't better friends, because they shared the same silent strength and determination. But that wasn't what they were talking about now.

" . . . Tina's going to Interlochen for the summer."

"No way!" Kurt hoisted his bag onto his shoulder. "That's-  _wow._  I didn't even know she'd auditioned. What about you?"

Mike shook his head. "My parents want me to go back to Asian Camp, but I was thinking I'd get a job, take more lessons."

Kurt nodded. "Yeah. I think I'll work for my dad. Blaine's headlining at Six Flags, and Puck's going to New York to help Shelby and Beth move back. I think- it's going to be a pretty boring summer."

"You have Finn, though."

Toby waited for what he knew was coming. Sure enough, after a second Kurt rolled his eyes..

"Yeah. And he's spending the whole summer doing football things." He wheeled around and caught Toby's eyes. "I wish we could do what we did  _last_  summer."

Toby laughed. "That's what you say now. Someone's forgetting all the relationship drama. All the  _Tooooobbbbyyyyy, I like him, why doesn't he like meeeeee._ "

Kurt blushed. "Okay. So. It was crazy and messy, but it worked out, didn't it? And RENT was so much fun."

Toby slung an arm around each of their shoulders, guiding them out of the barn. "I've got iced tea in the kitchen. Why don't y'all come on, and let me talk your ears off about the arts camp at B-W."

Mike and Kurt were a captive audience, and they asked all the right questions - how big are the classes? do the instructors really know what they're doing? how many chances for a solo, or would I be stuck in the chorus? - but Toby assured them everything was fine.

"One more reason to go," he remarked with a grin as he poured their glasses. "I'll be a faculty advisor. That is, if you can stand the sight of me after spendin' your Sundays all year with me in the studio."

"Toby, that's  _fantastic!"_  Kurt's eyes sparkled. "And Will - uh, Mr. Schue?"

Toby pressed his lips together, turning toward the wall so they wouldn't see the hurt he knew would be evident on his face. "He's got his own plans, with Emma. I'm there for the dance, anyway, and Will didn't... that was never his focus."

He distracted them with brochures he'd received in the mail last week, but Toby knew Kurt wasn't going to miss much. And the fact that he wasn't wearing his gold ring anymore hadn't escaped his notice, either. When Kurt brought their glasses to set in the sink, he touched the vacant spot on Toby's left hand. His eyes spoke a silent apology, and Toby nodded once in acknowledgement.

"So what'd'ya think?" Toby asked Mike, who was looking over the brochure with a pensive expression.

"I don't... think my dad would pay for it," Mike admitted. "And I couldn't afford it on my own. I don't know... it looks  _so good._  Maybe I could get a job?"

Toby shook his head. "There are tons of scholarships, Mike. My daddy sure as hell wasn't gonna pay for me to go, either. And once I- well. Anyway." He held Mike's gaze. "If you're gonna go for dance, they'll give you a scholarship, partly because you're crazy talented, but mostly because you're a boy."

He laid a hand on Kurt's shoulder. "Not as many vocal scholarships to go 'round, but between me, Brad, Andi and Laurie, we have plenty of connections. We can make it happen for you, too, darlin'. If you want."

Kurt's eyes were liquid fire, fierce determination and unmasked hope. "I definitely want," he whispered, leaning into Toby's side.

"And the best part is, you can each take classes in other things. So, Kurt, this is an opportunity for you to do some dance. And, Mike, I've heard you sing." Toby waggled a finger at Mike's red face. "So don't pretend you ain't got other talents. You could do some voice classes, men's chorus, in addition to the dance. It'd be good for you."

"I really don't think -" Mike protested, but Kurt made a noise of exasperation.

"Please. You sing really well when you don't think anybody's listening. I swear, Mike, I'm going to get you on that stage to audition for the musical next fall."

Mike looked scared out of speech, and Toby put a comforting hand on his shoulder as he hunched forward, almost cringing. "One thing at a time, all right, sugar?"


	2. May 2011

**Chapter Two: May 2011**

The mailbox contained six big envelopes on the day Kurt's letter came from B-W, and Kurt missed it entirely. But Finn saw it, sprawled in the pile of letters on the kitchen table next to Sarah's backpack and Puck's guitar case. He subtly appropriated it, stuck it in his backpack, and brought it out just before Glee for Mike to see.

"Is that what I think it is?" Mike's eyes were wide, and he reached for it, but Finn held it back. "Are you... you're not going to open it, are you?"

"No," Finn scoffed, because although he'd considered doing just that, when he heard Mike say it, it was clear that would have been a huge breach of Kurt's trust. "I just thought I'd bring it for him, to open."

"I bet I have one waiting at my house, too." Mike stared at the envelope. "Probably a rejection."

Finn shook his head, laughing. "Are you kidding? You're, like, the most talented dancer in the whole freaking world."

"Whatever," Mike muttered, ducking into his blush. Finn couldn't help feel an unreasonable sense of pleasure when Mike did that. He was so predictable, and Finn guessed maybe he was manipulating Mike a little, just to make him turn scarlet.

But, really, he meant every word. Mike was astonishing, and not just his technical maneuvers. He had an earnest, jubilant stage presence that left Finn breathless when he watched him perform. He grinned at Mike, waiting for him to recover.

"Yeah, you'll get in. And Kurt... we all know how awesome  _he_  is. The two of you, you've got it in the bag."

He clapped Mike on the shoulder, trying to show him on his face how much he believed in him, and Mike returned his grin, a little shyly.

"Thanks, man," he said softly. "But what about you? Don't tell me you don't love Glee as much as me or Kurt."

Finn gazed past Mike's shoulder, seeing the stack of his responsibilities in his head.  _Blaine. Puck and Beth. Kurt. Rachel. School, Glee, sports. My mom. Sarah._

"I don't... think I have time," Finn said. He leaned back a little in his chair, lost his thoughts, but jerked to attention as he felt Mike's hand on his arm. Mike looked tentative, but concerned.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine," Finn replied.

"Because..." Mike looked like he was wrestling with a thought, something that he couldn't say.

Finn sighed. "Mike... spit it out."

"You're... it's just that you're so talented, too, Finn. Really." He reddened, but he pressed on. "It's like, I think, somewhere along the line you decided you were less than Kurt, or Puck."

Finn shrugged. "I like singing with Glee. I like singing with my band. But I'm not like them - I'm not ever going to be a star."

Mike shook his head, eyes wide. "Finn, I'm telling you, you're  _wrong._  You're - " His mouth shut on whatever it was he was going to say next, and Mr. Schue caught their attention a moment later. Their conversation was set aside.

 _But I'm not forgetting it,_  thought Finn, sneaking a glance at Mike.

Kurt was in a good mood that day, and Finn decided to take advantage of it. When Mr. Schue stopped at the end of class to ask if there were any announcements, he raised his hand.

"Finn?" said Mr. Schue.

"I think I'm going to apply for music camp at Baldwin-Wallace this summer," he said, and Rachel's eyes widened. Kurt's mouth split in a smile. Mike just looked stunned.

"Finn, that's  _wonderful,"_  she gushed. "You'd have a stellar time - so many opportunities, opening up for you." He knew she attended the summer arts academy at Oberlin College most summers, but she'd been strangely silent about her plans for the upcoming vacation.

Mr. Schue was smiling big, too. "Hey, Finn, I think that's a terrific idea. B-W would offer you a chance to explore so many more aspects of dramatic arts. You could do some theater, music theory, sing in different styles... you could even choose dance."

"And I'd be careful not to stand too close to anyone if I did," he affirmed, grinning at Rachel, who touched the bridge of her own nose with a delicate finger.

"Well." Mr. Schue cleared his throat. "You'll have to hurry... I believe the deadline for applications is approaching quickly."

Finn pulled Kurt's letter out of his bag and held it up. "Yeah, it says on the back of this letter that Kurt got in the mail that the last day is -"

" _What?"_  Kurt screeched, grabbing for the letter, and Finn handed it over willingly, grinning. He bore Kurt's swats on his shoulder with good humor. "Where'd you get  _that?"_

"At home," he shrugged. "Not my fault if you don't even look at the mail." They all watched as Kurt tore into the envelope.

Finn wasn't watching Kurt. He knew Kurt would get in. He was watching Mike, who was clenching and unclenching his hands and bouncing one leg. None of them were unfamiliar nervous habits to Finn; in fact they were all pretty common, and Mike did them a lot. Somehow, though, today, they felt different to him.

When Kurt pulled out the acceptance letter, along with the promise of a fat financial aid package, Mike was as pleased as anyone, but he looked away as Kurt and Mr. Schue chattered about the summer and all the things he could expect to find waiting for him at Baldwin-Wallace.

Finn slipped away from the group, and dropped into the chair next to Mike. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Mike sighed. "I mean, I'm sure everything will be fine."

"It's good, that Kurt got in, huh?"

"I'm happy for him. But I kind of wonder what my chances are, now." Mike's voice was soft, sad-sounding.

Finn leaned his elbows on his knees. "What do you mean?"

"Well. Kurt's gotten in, and you're applying. Would they really take  _two_  of us from the same school, much less  _three_? I should just withdraw my application and go back to Asian Camp. At least I know I have a place there."

"Hey... Mike." Finn put a hand on Mike's arm. "You really think they wouldn't let you in just because somebody else from McKinley got in? No way." He hoped, anyway. Now he was starting to doubt, too.

Mike shrugged. "I have no idea, really. I just- I mean, I'm not competitive like some people." He slid his eyes over to Rachel, and then to Quinn and Santana. "Stuff like that, it's not that important to me. I just want to dance."

"So, you should come to B-W this summer and do that. Dance. Not that you're not already awesome at it, but... there are teachers, and classes. You'd knock their freaking socks off."

Mike's blush was high on his cheeks, but he was smiling. "Toby was talking about singing, too, and getting me to try out for the musical in the fall." His smile dropped away. "I don't know if I want to do that, but I don't want to disappoint Toby. He's given me so much of his time, with the free dance lessons and everything, and the B-W application."

"Well... you can feel grateful to Toby, but this, this summer program - that's for you. Right?" Finn tilted his head. "Don't you think you deserve something that's just for you?"

Mike shook his head, stared at his knees. "I've never done anything that's  _just_  for me. It's not what you do, in my family. There are expectations and understandings. And even things I enjoy, like Glee and football, are things I'm supposed to be doing not really because I love them but because they'll help me get into college."

Finn wrinkled his brow. "But some things you should do just because you love to do them. No matter what other people say."

Mike stood with a little annoyed huff. "That's easy for you to say, Finn. Your whole family loves you and accepts you, no matter what. It's not like that at my house. It's just-  _nothing_  is like that at  _my_  house. I can't... god." He grabbed his backpack and started towards the door.

"Mike, wait!" Finn reached for his arm, but Mike twisted away and headed around the corner, slamming into the lockers along the way.

Finn followed slowly, watching him disappear. It wasn't clear to him if he should follow, because even after years in football together, he and Mike still weren't very close. He wasn't sure if it wouldn't be better just to leave him alone. But - there was  _something._  He saw something today in Mike, something familiar. Something he recognized. He had to find out what it was.

He rounded the corner just as the door to the mens' bathroom swung shut, and Finn followed him in. The last of the underclassmen hurried out, throwing startled glances over their shoulder at Mike, who was hunched over the sink and glaring into the mirror. This wasn't like Mike, not at all. He was usually so calm, so easygoing. Even when he was nervous or scared, he was quiet about it. This Mike wasn't being quiet. He was barely keeping it together. Finn could see the tension simmering, just under the surface.

"Hey," he said, holding out a hand. Mike shot him a glance of pure fury, and Finn stopped, mid-gesture.

"You can't- you can't fix this, Finn. Just... please, let it go."

"Dude, you're  _so_  not okay right now. If I promise not to try to fix it? If I just listen? Would you tell me what's going on?"

Mike turned away, and Finn could see his shoulders shaking. "I can't. There's too much."

He took one slow step forward, then another. "What's too much, man? Come on, you're scaring me a little. Let me help."

Finn reached out and put a cautious hand on Mike's arm, and he relaxed a tiny bit when Mike didn't pull away. His voice was muffled. "Was it always so easy for you, knowing who you were?"

The question caught Finn off guard, but he tried to roll with it. "I - no. No, I didn't. Not for a long time. I mean, I knew I was me, but there were things I didn't know, until sophomore year, until I joined Glee, that... " He squinted at Mike. "What are we talking about here?"

Mike turned to face Finn, then, and his eyes were brimming with tears. "I'm sorry," he gasped. "God, Finn, I'm so sorry, but I  _need_ to know." He closed the last of the distance between them, and leaned in and pressed his lips to Finn's.

He was tentative and terrified, and Finn knew that he should push Mike away. But he couldn't, because he knew what it felt like, to be confused and scared like that. Kurt had helped him, back then. He thought that maybe paying it forward was okay. And it didn't feel like any of this was hurting anyone, so he let it go.

He smiled gently at Mike when the kiss ended, and touched him, softly, on the side of his neck. "Did that help?"

Mike blinked at him and blushed hotly. "I- I think maybe. Is it okay if the jury is still out?"

Finn chuckled. "I think that's totally normal? I mean, I'm not any kind of a model for how these things should go. Take your time, man. You'll be okay. And I'm here, whenever you want to talk or anything."

"Thanks." Mike rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. "You won't tell anybody?"

"Your business," he shrugged, "and nobody else's. I won't say a word."

Mike nodded slowly, and blinked again, like he was coming out of a daze or something. "You really think I should keep my application in for B-W?"

"Yeah, definitely." Finn slung his arm casually over Mike's shoulders. "We're gonna have a blast there, man. You and me and Kurt, we're gonna rule."

**0M0**

"Kurt?" Kurt turned from his locker to see Tina, moving slowly up the hall towards him.

"Hey, T. Are you getting excited about Interlochen? That's such an amazing opportunity for you!"

"I'm n-n-nervous," she stuttered, and Kurt fixed her with a stare that made her giggle. "Sorry. It was habit for so long, sometimes it's like it just . . . shows up again."

"Well. You'll do  _amazing_  there. Don't be nervous. What's up?"

She leaned against the lockers and waited while he slipped his History and English books into his bag. He hadn't missed a whole lot of McKinley classwork while he was at Dalton, which was kind of sad now that he really thought about it, but he still needed to do his homework to make sure he could remain in the senior class next year. Once he'd closed his locker door, she fell into step beside him and walked with him out the doors and into the parking lot.

"Can I talk to you? About Mike?"

Kurt studied her for a moment. "Everything okay? You guys seem really solid."

"We are." She brushed a piece of hair off her cheek. "We're fine. There's just  _stuff_ , you know? That nobody else sees?"

Kurt nodded. "I do know. Maybe . . . better than you think?"

Tina's smile was understanding. "Yeah. I figured that there was something going on with you, beyond what we all see at school."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Oh, honey... you have no idea. Now, is this a Lima Bean kind of talk, or a closed bedroom door kind of talk?" He watched Tina turn pink into her hairline, so he just opened the door to the Nav and gave her a hand up into the passenger seat. "Mmmm... closed bedroom door talk it is."

She was silent for a few minutes as Kurt drove toward his house, gazing out the window. Eventually she turned toward him, knitting her hands together. "You know how things, familiar things, can suddenly look... different? Like, you've always seen things one way... and then all of a sudden, you wake up one day and everything has changed, even though nothing has?" She shook her head. "I'm not making sense."

"No, I think I have the general idea. You and Mike are okay, I get that. But there  _is_  something going on there, right?"

"Yeah." Tina frowned into her lap as Kurt pulled into the driveway. His dad was at the garage until six, Carole was at the hospital until later than that, and Finn wouldn't be back from his usual Wednesday with Blaine until after dark. Only Puck's car was here.

He helped Tina down from the Nav and led her into the front door. "You haven't been here since we moved in, have you?"

She gazed around at the spacious foyer, eyes wide. "No. It's . . . wow. Um. Big?"

"Yeah, well. We needed lots of room because there are lots of us, now." He nodded for Tina to remove her shoes by the door, and he left his own next to Sarah's Docs and Frances' loafers. He turned to the stairs and started calling out. "Girls? Puck? Where is everyone?"

An answering crash from the kitchen startled Tina into dropping her boots, but Kurt just laughed. "C'mon," he said, tugging on her sleeve. "I suspect there's baking."

There was indeed baking. Sarah was moving pans of cupcakes in and out of the oven, and Frances was carefully scooping batter into the paper cups. Puck was just watching, a satisfied smile on his face.

Kurt rested a hand on the back of his neck, and Puck leaned into the touch. "Hey, baby. Hey, Tina." Puck nodded at the girls. "Francie has a bake sale tomorrow for the Environmental Club."

"You're supervising?"

"We don't need supervising," Sarah muttered sharply before glaring at Puck. "And he's  _not_ , anyway. He's just trying to steal a cupcake."

Frances pointed at them imperiously with her spatula. She had a dab of batter on her left cheek. "Trust me, we already have more cooks than we need. You go talk about your weird high school stuff, and we'll bring you cupcakes when they're cool and frosted."

Kurt stifled a giggle before pulling both her and Sarah close and dropping kisses to the tops of their heads. "We'll look forward to it. Just don't make too much of a mess, and clean up after yourselves. We don't need to leave any extra work for Dad and Carole, okay?"

"Of course," Francie said, saluting him with the spatula. "Oh captain my captain."

"We never should have watched that movie," Puck said as Kurt moved past him again. "What're you and Tina up to?"

Kurt rested his head briefly against Puck's shoulder. "A little girl talk. We'll be in my room. What about you?"

"Since I can't be in the kitchen, I guess I'll see if A- um.  _You know_. If he's around."

"Good. If you connect, tell him hey for me, and that I'll call tonight." Kurt leaned in and kissed Puck, hard. He would have kept kissing him if Sarah hadn't scolded them.

"Hey, there are  _children_  present!"

Kurt pulled away and mouthed a half-hearted  _sorry_  to the girls before saying the same, genuinely, to Tina.

"It's okay," she said as she followed him to the stairs. "It's just-  _nice,_ to see you so happy."

"We had... a hard winter," Kurt admitted. "It's a lot easier now that we're here, at the house, together. Well - most of us."

"Blaine? I thought you and he . . ."

"Oh, yeah. We are."

"And I saw him, once, out with Puck."

"Yeah. We're all . . ." he waved his hand. "It's been really difficult, getting it all worked out. But he's a part of all of us." He sighed as they reached his bedroom. "There's a place for him here, too, but it's going to be a while before  _that_  happens. In the meantime, nobody else uses Blaine's room." He nodded down the hall at the closed door as he opened the door to his own.

"Oh." Tina looked confused.

"It's okay, T. I'll tell you as much as I can later."

"Okay. Who's the other girl, in the kitchen? I thought Puck only had one sister."

"That's Frances. She's a friend of Sarah's; they're really like sisters, which I guess means I have  _two_  sisters. It's kind of nice, actually. She's a good kid, and she's here a lot because we're all about not being judgmental."

Tina nodded. "That's why I wanted to talk to you, actually. Well, the non-judgy thing and your awesome secret-keeping abilities."

Kurt flopped onto his bed and motioned for Tina to join him. "Come over here and tell me what's going on."

She reached for his stuffed Ernie and propped it up next to her, heaving a tremendous sigh. "God, Kurt. It's Mike." Then she laughed. "Listen to me. I sound like something terrible has happened. But really, something wonderful happened."

He knew Tina well enough by now to know she'd say it all if he gave her a little time, so he just rested his head on his hand and watched, nodding.

"We've been talking about it for a long time, and with school ending soon and both of us going away, we decided it was just time. It was right, you know?"

Kurt sat up, eyes round. "You - you and Mike? The two of you...?" He dropped his voice to a whisper. "Really?"

Tina swatted at his knee. "Please. I bet you've been . . . doing  _that_ for over a year, Kurt Hummel." She whispered right back, "With  _both_  of them, if I've been paying attention."

Kurt swallowed, hard, and shook his head. "No, Blaine and I haven't . . ."

"Not Blaine.  _Finn_."

"What? He's my brother!" Kurt started to protest, but at Tina's steady stare he felt all the blood rush from his head, and he knew that he couldn't deny it to her any longer. "How did you - um...?"

"Last Christmas, Mike and I saw the three of you, the night we all went caroling. And I've just been paying attention. Don't worry, you guys hide it really well. I just - you know, had something to look for, so I saw it."

Kurt shook his head, feeling dazed. "God. I'd forgotten about that. And here I thought we were being so careful."

Tina snorted. "Yeah. Sure. Dancing together at your parents' wedding? The way he hugged you when you came back to McKinley's? I thought he was never going to let you out of his sight."

Kurt sighed. "Yeah. Like I said, it was a really hard winter. But. You and Mike? Was it . . . I mean, it was a good thing, right?"

"Way to change the subject," Tina said, rolling her eyes. "Yes, it's a good thing. We're happy. But Mike's got some other stuff going on."

Kurt shook his head. "I don't like to gossip, you know that."

"It's not gossip if it's true, Kurt. And Mike said that I could talk about it with my friends."

Kurt blinked. "He - okay. I didn't expect that. You mean you guys talked about... uh. What are we talking about here?"

"Mike told me that he's, um... curious. About boys?"

Kurt thought about what he'd seen from Mike at dance lessons with Toby, the way Mike's eyes had strayed, and his dark blush whenever Toby positioned him or gave him praise. "Oh." Kurt blinked at her. "That - yeah. Makes sense, actually."

"Yeah. It does. But I never expected Mike to admit it to me, you know? He's always kept his feelings pretty close to his chest, especially the scary ones. The ones his father wouldn't approve of."

"Sometimes . . ." Kurt nibbled at his lip with his front teeth. "Sometimes,  _after_ , when you're feeling really close to the other . . . person? It's easier, to talk about the scary stuff. That means that Mike felt safe with you. That's good, T."

She smiled, looking kind of relieved. "Yeah," she said. "It is. I was proud of him. But now... he's had these thoughts for a while, I think, and I don't want him to feel like he can't talk about them, now that they're... out there."

Kurt put his arm over her shoulder and pulled her close to him. "Then tell him that. The most important thing for us has been being totally honest, all the time, even when it hurts or feels scary or overwhelming. Just tell him that you don't want him to feel like he needs to hide anything from you."

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I don't think he thinks he has to. I just don't want him to feel alone."

Kurt smiled. "Then tell him that, too. Mike follows your lead a lot, doesn't he?" At her brief nod, he went on. "If you show him that you're okay, that it doesn't bother you, then he'll pick up on that, I think, and maybe he'll open up more."

"No," Tina said. "It doesn't bother me." She giggled a little. "I think it's kind of hot, actually. Two boys together?"

Kurt snorted, and it felt so good to have another person who  _knew_ , that he couldn't resist poking a little fun. "You think two is hot, you should see three."

"Don't tempt me," she blurted before covering her mouth with her hand. "Oh, shit. Did I actually say that out loud?"

Kurt just patted her shoulder gently. "Don't worry, baby. Your secret's safe with me."


	3. June 2011, Week One

**Chapter Three: June 2011, Week One**

"C'mon, Kurt!" Finn bounded across the parking lot with his backpack and a single suitcase.

Kurt sighed, and hefted his second suitcase out of the Navigator.

"I'd move a lot faster if you'd help me," he called, but Finn was already on the sidewalk stalking towards the dorm they'd been assigned in their welcome letters. Kurt just held his head up, threw his shoulders back, and walked as quickly and dignified as he could and still catch up to Finn.

The lobby of the dorm was absolute chaos. There were kids everywhere, with parents and luggage, and everyone was milling around in front of two folding tables while a handful of B-W t-shirted staff were talking over the din, trying to funnel everyone into two lines.

"Okay, kids, A-M over here and N-Z on that - Kurt!" The voice was more than a little familiar. Kurt's eyes flew open, and he found himself staring into the mahogany eyes of Darius Mitchell. "What are you doing slumming with these high school kids?"

Kurt laughed in spite of himself, and shook his head as he opened his arms to hug Darius. "So soon they forget - I  _am_  one of those high school kids. But - you're not an instructor here?"

"For the summer, I sure as shit am," he said with a wide grin. "Pardon me. I've got to learn to curb my mouth."

"Please. I'm sure most of us have said way worse than that." Kurt smiled, feeling light and happy that he got to be here with Finn and Toby, and now Darius, too. They'd met Darius last summer, when Kurt had somehow ended up being cast in summer theater with Toby, Mr. Schue, Shelby and Blaine. Seeing Darius reminded him of a time when things had been easier - so much simpler than this last impossible year.

"I gotta-" Darius gestured to the seemingly unending stream of kids filling up the lobby, and Kurt nodded as he turned to help a girl and her parents. "I'll catch you later, though, yeah?"

Kurt nodded, and smiled, shifting his gaze to the rest of the room. Sometimes it felt like he was magnetized or something, because he  _always_  found Finn, even in a room this crowded with people. But Finn wasn't alone; Mike was standing next to him, a duffel over his shoulder, looking a little lost.

Kurt picked his way through the crowd to them, and put a hand on Finn's arm. "Finn - did you see? Darius is a counselor here."

Finn smiled, but his eyes looked a little sad. "Cool. I haven't seen him in ages, not since I stopped going to Columbus."

"Yeah," Kurt said softly. Darius was Irene's cousin, and Irene's coffeehouse would forever be linked, in Finn's mind, with last winter and his first months with Carl - and Blaine. Finn didn't let things go easily; he needed them to be steady and ordinary, or else things would begin to feel out of place. Kurt leaned in and gave him a quick kiss. "We'll get signed in, and find out where our rooms are, all right?"

"Okay," Finn agreed. Kurt surveyed the lines, and nodded to the back of the longer one.

"I wish there weren't so many people in the first half of the alphabet." He picked up his bags and started towards the line, ignoring his want to look back to make sure Mike and Finn were following. "I'm ready to get this summer started!"

**0M0**

Mike was kind of surprised at the way Kurt sort of  _took charge._  Not only that, but also at the way Finn  _let him_  take charge, because it seemed to Mike that Finn was usually the one taking care of things for  _all_  of the guys. They stood around silently as they shuffled slowly through the line, until Mike was standing in front of a young woman with a cardboard box in front of her.

"Name?" She didn't even look up at his response, running the tip of her pencil down a list on a clipboard. "Yeah. You'll be in 305. You've got two roommates. We're sorry about that." She scowled. "There was a busted pipe up on the fifth floor, so we've had to triple some of you up."

She thumbed through her box and slid a manilla envelope across the table to Mike with a perfectly manicured finger. "That's your keys and name badge and class schedule and all. Elevator's through the double doors to the left. Orientation meeting's in the auditorium at 5, there's a map in your packet. Next?"

Mike moved to the side and waited for Kurt and Finn to finish, the two of them standing side by side. Mike wondered if anyone else noticed the way Kurt had his hand settled lightly against Finn's back. Wondered if anyone even cared.

Wondered what he'd been thinking, that this was any kind of a good idea. The only reason he'd been able to come in the first place was because of the scholarship and because it was a college-run program. Apparently his father cared more about the reputation of the program than the content, so Mike had been able to gloss over the performing arts aspect of things, and his father had been too busy with financial reports and stock sales or something to notice.

He  _had_  to make this work. Had to prove, to himself if no one else, that he was as talented as Britt and Tina and even  _Toby_  had been telling him, because he didn't think he'd get this lucky a second time.

Finn turned around with his papers in his hands, and his grin didn't do anything to calm Mike's jumpy nerves. "What?" Mike said, suspiciously.

"Somebody's either not paying attention, or they're being really nice to us," Finn said, pointing at his paper. "Me and Kurt are roommates. Room 305."

His stomach did a slow roll. "Uh... me too."

Finn's grin dropped away, and he peered at Mike's packet. "Really? I don't - oh, they did say something about some people having three in a room."

"I can move somewhere else," Mike said, somewhat desperately, but Finn shook his head.

"No, no, that's cool." Finn frowned at his paper. Then he seemed to notice Mike's discomfiture, smiled and put a hand on his shoulder. "You're completely fine, man. We can keep our hands to ourselves. Kurt and I have had a lot of practice at that."

Mike knew it was true; they'd managed to hide the nature of their relationship secret from the school for the past two years, though there were plenty of rumors among the student body. He crossed his arms, hunching into himself. "I know, and that really sucks. You guys shouldn't have to censor yourselves for me. You came here to  _be_  yourselves, not to keep hiding."

But Finn was shaking his head again. "That's not how we are around you, dude. You don't ask us to pretend not to be together. But we can respect your privacy. I'm sure you can give us some time to ourselves every now and then."

Mike took a deep breath and mustered a grin and a wink for Finn. "Sock on the doorknob or something?"

"Or something," Finn laughed. "We'll figure it out. C'mon, man, let's go get unpacked."

The room was unremarkable, with a set of bunk beds standing across from a single bed. When Mike followed Finn through the door, Kurt was standing in front of the bunk beds with his head tilted sideways. "Do you think . . ." he caught Finn's eye and nodded at the beds.

"Take them down? So we each have a single?" Finn glanced at Mike, and Mike shrugged before smiling at Kurt.

"You're lucky, I guess, that Finn and I can totally rock this." He dropped his dance bag onto the floor and joined the others in front of the beds. "It looks like we might need a screwdriver."

Kurt smirked at Finn, and nodded at Mike. "I guess it's a good thing I never bothered to take my toolbox out of the Nav." He turned on his heel and stalked out of the room.

"He has a toolbox?" Mike asked Finn.

"Dude. Kurt is like, an awesome mechanic. And he's really  _hot_ , when he's in mechanic mode."

Mike spluttered gracelessly. "I'll trust you on that."

It was uncomfortable to unpack in front of Finn, while Kurt unfastened the beds with a few quick, practiced movements of his ratcheting screwdriver. Mike tucked his clothes into the third drawer down as quickly as he could, repacking his few books, workout clothes and his journal into his backpack. He gazed out the window at the unfamiliar courtyard below, and sighed. He missed Tina already.

Finn didn't seem to notice Mike's malaise, luckily. He was talking animatedly about his schedule - they apparently had men's chorus together - so Mike didn't realize Kurt was watching him until the beds were already apart and the desks rearranged to make room for the third single. He jumped when Kurt touched his arm.

"You've been away from home before," Kurt said quietly. "Haven't you?"

"To Asian Camp, yeah. But that was only ever for two weeks." He shrugged. "And more than half the kids there, I'd known all my life. This is just . . . a lot different."

Kurt gestured at Finn, stowing his empty suitcase under his bed. "You know us."

"Yeah," Mike said, then sighed again in frustration. "I mean,  _no._  I don't, really. Finn and I have been in school together since we were kids, but we were never... friends. And you and me?" He shrugged halfheartedly. "Kurt, I don't really know you at all."

Kurt's smile was kind. "Well, here we are. It's a great opportunity to get to know one another." He held out a hand. "Hi. I'm Kurt."

Mike decided there was no harm in playing along. "Hi," he replied, taking Kurt's hand. "I'm Mike. You're very impressive with that screwdriver."

Kurt blinked, and for a few speechless moments, Mike thought maybe he'd embarrassed him. Then Kurt let loose a slow, teasing smile, and he looked him up and down, like he was...  _on display._  Mike felt his own face go hot.

"Thank you," Kurt drawled, with a wink that was positively pornographic. "You should see me rebuild an engine."

Mike felt his breath get caught somewhere in his throat.  _What the hell was going on?_  He scrambled for a witty retort in his head, but he was so bad at flirting, he couldn't settle on anything before Finn was clearing his throat behind them.

"Dude," he said, in a mild undertone that made Mike's stomach clench. "You guys want me to leave you alone for a few minutes? Get out one of my socks for the doorknob, or something?"

Mike choked, but he almost stopped breathing when Kurt fixed him with another stare and smile.

"Not yet, sweetheart," Kurt said, taking Finn's hand. "We have four weeks, after all. No sense to hurry anything. Right, Mike?"

"Uh. Right." Mike's words echoed in his head. He couldn't believe he'd even  _said_  that. And how did Kurt even know? Did he have some blinking sign over his head or something? Maybe even with an arrow pointing at him.  _Confused, sheltered Asian kid here. Flirt away._

**0M0**

Toby pulled him aside after the orientation meeting, which had been pretty boring.

"I need you," Toby said, tugging him out of the mass of people heading to the dining hall.

"Excuse me?" Mike coughed, following Toby into one of the empty classrooms outside of the auditorium.

"They gave me this baby ballet class, and it's beyond full. Apparently none of the little squirts in the junior division have ever taken a ballet class before." He rolled his eyes. "I need an assistant, and I need it to be you." Toby fixed Mike with a stare. "Don't even think about saying no."

Mike shook his head. "I've never taught before."

"You help Kurt all the time. And you help all the kids in Glee. Teaching kids isn't that much different." Toby's face was pleading. "Don't make me beg, or resort to blackmail, because that won't be pretty at all. I'm terrible at blackmail."

"They know their right from their left, yeah?"

"With any luck."

"Then they have a step up on Finn, when we started Glee last fall." Mike sighed, and shrugged. "It can't be any worse than teaching him. Fine. I'll do it. But if I suck the first day, you'll let me quit, okay?"

But Mike was secretly pleased, because of all the kids there at B-W to study dance, Toby had picked him. Okay, so maybe Mike was the only one he knew well, or trusted to help. That didn't do anything to stop the warm glowy feeling in his middle.  _He picked me._

_And you're going to suck,_  added the voice in his head, the one that sounded an awful lot like his father.  _If you think you can actually be of any use to Toby at all, you're dead wrong. You're just going to freeze up, like you always do when you try to talk in front of actual people._

"You're not going to suck," Kurt said later, waving his toothbrush in the air like a conductor on his way to brush his teeth. "Toby wouldn't have asked you if he didn't think you'd be great at it."

Mike tucked his pen into the middle of his journal to mark the page, and then set it on the floor next to his bed. "I hope you're right," he said.

He was so nervous he didn't think he'd be able to sleep. Not just about teaching, either. He would be taking Men's Chorus, which sounded plenty nervewracking all on its own, and advanced workshops in ballet and modern dance, plus Toby had insisted that Mike take a tap class.

"Anyway, Toby loves you. He thinks you're amazing." Kurt ducked his head out of the bathroom to grin at Mike. "And I think you think he's pretty amazing, too."

Mike blushed and ducked his head. "He's a good teacher," he said to his feet. "That's all."

"Uh huh," Kurt said with a wink and a smile. "Right. That's why you were staring at his abs when he took off his shirt at the end of our ballet practice last week?"

"Kurt!" Mike felt his ears positively burning, but he couldn't acknowledge his reaction because... no. It was too much.

It didn't help, either, that Kurt and Finn were going out of their way to be platonic around him, even here in their own room with no one else watching. Aside from a chaste kiss at the end of the day, Mike hadn't seen them be physical with one another at all. And if it felt anything for them like it did for Mike, being away from Tina, well, he could guess how much they were restraining themselves.

"You know, Kurt, you guys don't have to pretend in the room," he said, trying to be casual as he moved past Kurt and into the bathroom for his turn at the sink. "I really don't mind, if you want to kiss."  _And I wouldn't mind watching_ , he thought for an instant before stopping  _that_  dangerous train in its tracks.

Finn's only response was a mild, "Thanks, man," but Kurt shook his head, sitting cross-legged on his bed.

"We've been doing fine. It's better this way, trust me. There's just - too much going on around here. Even if we were alone, the walls are too thin for us to do anything."

"Kurt," Finn said quietly, and Kurt stopped talking. Finn smiled at Mike. "Thanks," he repeated. "We'll keep it in mind."

**0M0**

Mike fell asleep easily, even though he usually had a hard time his first few nights in a new place, but he woke up in the middle of the night to muffled voices and the whisper of moving cloth, and he had to think for a minute to remember where he was. And who was in the room with him.

"Baby," he heard, low and intense, and Mike felt a shiver.

"Don't you dare stop," Kurt ground out. " _Fuck_ , Finn."

Mike kept his eyes closed, listened to Finn chuckle and then say something to Kurt that he didn't quite understand. "I thought I was the Top."

"You are,  _sir_ ," Kurt answered, an odd mix of gentle affection and something more intense.

"Yeah, well." Finn sounded equally affectionate. "Maybe it can be different here, for the summer. You need it as much as I do."

The image in Mike's head had something to do with who was kneeling over whom, and whose hands were grasping and whose were held immobile, but it was all very hazy and far too intense for Mike to dwell on for long. Unfortunately, he was stuck in bed, with no headphones or extra pillows to block out the sound of Kurt's rapid breath, or Finn's noises of encouragement.

He shifted, tucking one arm under his pillow and settling on his stomach to make it seem like he'd just turned over in his sleep. Kurt and Finn were still and silent for a moment, and then he heard Kurt giggle. After that, there were more soft kissing sounds, increasingly frantic gasps and, finally, two very muffled groans.

"We can't do this every night," Kurt whispered after a brief pause. "What if Mike had woken up? Talk about embarrassing."

"You heard him, baby," Finn replied in a murmur. "He said it was okay. I don't think he'd mind so much."

"On the contrary; I think he'd mind a lot." Mike heard shuffling, and then the soft slap of bare feet on the linoleum. "We need to sleep in our own beds."

"Don't you trust me?" Finn sounded mock-hurt.

"Don't trust myself. You know I can't resist you in the morning." Kurt's voice was teasing, and Mike realized yet again that the Kurt he knew from school and the Kurt he was coming to know here were two very different people.

_Nobody ever said it was going to be a_ _ **boring**_ _summer_ , he thought as he listened to Finn's breathing even out and Kurt settling back into his own bed. Mike kept his eyes closed and it wasn't long before he was drifting off himself.

It was just barely sunrise, if the odd gray light peeking under the edge of the blinds was any indication, when Mike woke again. His heart was pounding out of his chest and his breath was coming hard and shallow - and he was more turned on than he knew what to do with.

His mind was stuck on his dream: a loop of diaphanous vision and sound, unidentifiable hands stroking him and lips against the side of his neck, and none of it had been Tina's gentleness or softness. The people - _people, plural?_ \- in his dream had been guys, and he really wasn't sure which was turning him on more: men, or  _more than one of them?_

_How about_ _ **all**_ _of it_? he thought, and then closed his eyes.  _No, no, no. Don't go there. Baby steps, Michael._   _Even if you have a green light from Tina, that doesn't mean you need to go crazy._

Mike slipped from his bed and moved silently to gather his towel and toiletries before crossing the room to the bathroom. He shut the door carefully and turned the shower as hot as he could stand it before climbing inside. The water felt good on his skin, but did nothing to lessen the impact of his dream. He knew he needed to do something, but it still felt weird even though Finn and Kurt were sound asleep and the door was closed.

_It's not like they'll even be able to hear you over the running water,_  he thought, grasping himself tentatively and stroking once.  _It's not like last night_  - and he hardly had to move his hand a second time, because just the memory of what he'd overheard sent him over the edge.

"Oh,  _god_ ," he whispered into the air, resting his head against the shower wall. He'd never had a  _control problem_  before, but at least he'd been alone.  _At least you waited until you were out of bed_ , he thought, because having to change his sheets the first day would have been really embarrassing.

He washed quickly, knowing that he'd shower again at least once before the day was over because there was going to be a lot of dancing happening, and wrapped his towel around his waist before heading back into the room. Kurt was sitting up in bed, squinting and rubbing at his face.

"What time is it?" He fumbled around for his watch, but Mike waved him off.

"Early. I couldn't sleep. I'm gonna go stretch or something. See you guys at breakfast?"

"Uh huh." Kurt nodded at him, and then laid back down and pulled his blanket up over his head. "Have fun," he mumbled with a wave of two fingers over the edge of the blanket.

Mike put on soccer shorts and a t-shirt and stuffed his dance bag full of practice clothes for the day. He doubted he'd be getting back to the room until sometime in the afternoon, and he knew that the worst thing in the world would be showing up to a class unprepared on the first day. He made sure he had his key and his schedule and his music before heading out to the dance studios.

He was kind of surprised that they weren't locked, but as he wandered the empty hall he found that two of the smaller rooms were already occupied, one by a girl working carefully at the barre in what looked like brand new pointe shoes, and the other by a boy picking at a complicated tap combination.

Mike slipped into the third small studio and shoved his feet into his ballet shoes. He really needed a new pair; they were starting to wear down under his toes, but he liked the way they were perfectly broken in. They felt familiar, as did the series of stretches he worked through to warm his body up.

When he was pleasantly loose and feeling less stuck in his head, he decided to try working on some of the trouble spots in the variation Toby had him learning.  _For your auditions_ , he'd said, like it was already a done deal that Mike would be applying to conservatories instead of Harvard and Stanford like his parents expected. Like everyone expected.

He'd balked when Toby had given him videos of Nureyev and Baryshnikov to watch. "I can't do that," he'd said as Toby shoved the disks into Mike's hands after they'd watched the solo once through. "No way. I'm not that good."

Toby had tapped him on the forehead with the plastic case and shook his head. "You're so much better than you realize. We'll work on it together."

And they had, in bits and pieces over the past two months, but Mike had gotten stuck on the sequence of barrel turns and tours en l'air that were the centerpiece of the variation. He couldn't get the timing right, which he was sure had something to do with being a little too tall. He just couldn't turn fast enough in the air. Toby kept assuring him he'd get the hang of it in time.

Mike cued up his music and took the starting pose, moving through the familiar tours jetes and pirouettes. And then came the turns, and just like always he made it a quarter of the way around the studio before he was off the music.

"Dammit," he mumbled, backing the music up thirty seconds to try again, and again he lost the music. He slammed his palm roughly against the barre in frustration.

"Careful, you don't wanna break a hand on the first day." Toby's familiar voice drifted over from the doorway.

"I can't get this," he snarled, waving an angry hand at his iPod. "We've been working on it for weeks, and it never gets  _better_."

"Well, sugar, tryin' to dance the shit out of it when you're all worked up about somethin' ain't the way to get there." Toby didn't move any farther into the studio, just waited in the doorway.

Mike glared at him. "I'm not worked up about  _anything_."

"Uh huh," Toby said slowly. "Then how come the only ones here at this hour are you, a girl with a stage mother to rival Mama Rose from Gypsy, and a boy who only started dancing last year?"

"I don't know," he sighed. "Maybe they couldn't sleep either."

Toby held out a bottle of water. "If you're gonna dance, you need to stay hydrated. Did you warm up?"

Mike took the bottle and swigged half of it before nodding at Toby. "Thanks. And yes, I warmed up."

"Wanna talk about whatever it is you're tryin' to dance out?"

"No," Mike said, shaking his head. God, Toby  _never_  let up. "Not right now. I just-  _shit_. I just want to get this stupid sequence right."

"Okay," Toby said, slipping off his sneakers and stepping into the studio. He took Mike's hand. "I know you want to show off your elevation, but I think that's where the problem is. You're getting too much air. Do you remember how Nureyev stayed so close to the stage?"

Mike nodded. "He was so fast."

"That's right. Think long instead of high. Show off those killer legs," Toby said with a wink and a teasing touch on Mike's thigh.

Mike pulled away with a light cough. "Can you show me?" he asked, mostly to cover up his nervousness. Toby's touch was nothing but friendly, but last night's dream was still too close to the surface of his mind for it to feel completely platonic.

"Hell." Toby waggled his finger at Mike. "I'm not warmed up at all, so do as I say and not as I do, and if I hurt myself, please remind me that I'm really too old to be so stupid?"

Mike had to smile. "Sure." Even when he was freaking out, Toby's humor still got to him. He set the music back to the beginning of the turn sequence and waited for Toby to nod at him.

Toby launched into the turns, and Mike could see the difference between what he had been doing and what Toby was doing. He  _had_  been working on height, whereas Toby was using the energy from his body to move sideways. He watched the muscles in Toby's legs coiling with each plié, and he tried not to stare.  _It's a different use of power,_  he realized.  _It's beautiful._

"Did that help?" Toby stood where he'd stopped moving, barely out of breath, and bent over to touch his nose to his knees in a stretch.

"Yeah," Mike said. "It did."

"Good," Toby said. He touched a hand to the middle of Mike's back to urge him into position. "Now it's your turn."

Mike sighed, took his pose, and nodded at Toby. Counted off the beat in his head and tried  _again_. He knew, after the first three turns, that he was on the edge of losing the music  _again_ , but Toby was clapping out the beat and shouting at him.

"Push through, keep going," Toby called as Mike spun past him.

"Can't," he shouted back.

"I don't care, do it anyway. Dance the shit out of it, you know you want to."

He  _did_. He wanted to get to that place where it was just him and the music, where his head was empty of everything and he was fully inside his body, but he  _couldn't._

"You're thinking too hard," Toby called on his second pass around the studio. "C'mon, Mike, just fucking  _let it go_."

He launched into the last set of turns a half-breath behind the music, but he kept chasing after it, and when he spun into the chaîne turns at the end he was, impossibly, right on the music. When he struck the final pose, his head was amazingly quiet.

" _That's_  how you do it!" Toby crossed the studio in three long strides and pulled him into a tight hug. "That's how you work through it. I'm so proud of you!"

Mike blinked at the sudden tears in his eyes, because  _god,_ that was all he'd ever wanted to hear from his father, and he was pretty sure that not only would he never get such an unashamed hug from him, he'd also never  _ever_  hear him say he was proud. Well, not unless Mike was graduating from law or medical school.

"Thanks," Mike said into Toby's shoulder. His words flowed freely on the heels of that success, and Toby's words of approval. "I'm not sure you know how much that means to me. My dad -"

Toby pulled away and smiled at Mike, a hand on his shoulder. "Say no more. Dads can be complicated. Someday I'll tell you all about my own. But right now, we're gonna be late for breakfast. And trust me, you'll never make it through the day if you don't eat."

**0M0**

Singing with the Men's Chorus was completely different than singing with Glee. At first Finn wasn't sure he was going to like it. It reminded him too much of watching Blaine sing rings around him with the Warblers, and feeling like the slow kid who never quite got the joke. He knew he wasn't all that talented, and pretending to be a musician when he really just had a fairly good ear and a questionably reliable high B was sort of embarrassing.

"I keep thinking somebody's going to find me out," he whispered to Mike from their spot in the back row. Mike gave him a quizzical look.

"What do you mean?" Mike whispered back.

"Gentlemen," called Mrs. Fairbank from the podium. "Focus on your music. Top of page three."

They waited until she wasn't looking. Finn stepped a little closer to Mike on the risers. "That I don't really know what I'm doing."

Mike's expression was incredulous. "Dude, and you think I do? I'm just a dancer. I hardly know how to read music."

"Boys." Mrs. Fairbanks actually stopped the chorus and gave them a pointed look. "You have something to share with the group?"

"Uh," said Finn. "No, ma'am?"

She set down her baton. "Well, perhaps I could persuade you to put your voices to better use. Give me the tenor line at the top of page three."

Mike glanced at Finn in panic. "Just the two of us?" he whispered.

Finn smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring way. "Hey, we can do this." He spoke loud enough to be heard over the three rows of guys standing in front of them. "At letter A?"

"That's it. Ready? You have your pitches?" She cued the accompanist to give them their note. "Coming in on four."

Finn didn't think about the thirty-eight other guys watching them. He just concentrated on the notes, and the warmth of Mike's arm brushing against his, and took a deep breath and opened his mouth. They started a little shakily, but Mr. Schue had taught them not to stop when they made a mistake, just to keep going.  _Nine times out of ten, the only person who'll notice is you,_  he'd said. And Finn had to admit, they sounded pretty good.

When they were done, several of the guys applauded, and he knew it wasn't for any reason other than the fact that they all knew how hard it was to get up in front of an unfamiliar crowd and do that. Mike let out the breath he'd been holding.

"Nicely done, gentlemen," said Mrs. Fairbanks, smiling. "Now let's see if you can keep your mind on your music. Everyone, we'll start at the same point."

Finn faced Mike afterward, gripping his shoulder in a lame substitute for a hug, but he didn't want to make Mike feel uncomfortable in front of everyone. "You were great," he said. "Really."

"Yeah?" Mike broke into a hopeful smile, and Finn felt a surprising shiver of appreciation for that expression. "You think so?"

"You're way too hard on yourself. Didn't Toby tell you the same thing?"

Mike shrugged. "Toby tells me I'm a perfectionist, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but yeah. I guess I beat up on myself a lot."

"How come?" Finn closed his folder with a little snap and tucked it under his arm. "You're smart and talented and a good football player. And you have an awesome girlfriend."  _And you're hot_ , he wanted to add, but didn't because, well. Awkward.

Mike followed Finn down the risers to the front of the room to put away their folders. "I'm expected to be a certain way, do certain things. Disappointing my parents isn't an option. I just have to be perfect all the time."

Finn smiled gently at him. "Well... you don't have to do that here. You can be whoever you want to be. That's what Kurt said about going away for the summer. You can make it anything, anything you've ever wanted to try to be, and nobody has any expectations for you."

Mike looked away. "Except me."

Finn nodded, because he understood exactly how it felt to need to be good enough for himself. "It's only the first week, man. You have a lot of time left to figure out what you want."

**0M0**

Kurt dragged himself back to the room after dinner, thinking longingly about a hot shower, and a second hot shower followed by an ibuprofen chaser. Even his  _hair_  was tired.

He pushed the door open to the sound of water running in the bathroom. Mike was stretched out on the floor in a straddle, eyes moving rapidly over the pages of a thick novel. He lifted his gaze to meet Kurt's eyes. "Finn got here first. I think he's going to use all the hot water."

Kurt stepped gingerly to the bathroom and pounded half-heartedly on the door. "Other people need in there, Finn. Don't be a water hog."

"But I huuurrrrt," Finn moaned over the water. "That movement class Toby made me take is hard."

"Oh, poor baby," Kurt said. "But no, my ballet and jazz classes have  _no_  sympathy for your  _movement_  class. Mike and I hate you."

"Hate might be a little strong," Mike said from the floor, and Kurt shot him a glare. "Okay," Mike laughed. "Maybe not too strong for you."

"Can I have the next shower?" Kurt hated to ask, because he knew Mike had been dancing almost the whole day, but he was afraid that if he stopped moving without a shower he'd end up stuck.

"Sure," Mike shrugged, going back to his book.

"That looks really uncomfortable." He nodded at Mike's outstretched legs.

Mike shook his head. "No, not really. Feels kind of good, but Tina always tells me I'm too rubber-bandy for a little extra stretch to matter. You should try it, it might help."

"I don't-" Kurt started to protest, but Mike wrapped a hand around his ankle.

"C'mon," Mike said. "Stretch and tell me about your classes. That will be so much more interesting than  _this_." He waved his hand at his book. "Stupid AP English."

"Anna Karenina," Kurt sighed, settling in on the floor and matching Mike's position. "I'm listening to the audiobook."

"Good idea," Mike said.

Kurt shrugged. "We started listening to them sophomore year. Puck and I were in English together, and he understands more when he listens, so. It works out pretty well."

"Cool. So, which class kicked your butt today?"

Kurt snorted. "Which one didn't? I'm in a ballet class with a bunch of fourteen year olds. I thought I'd learned a lot from Toby, but apparently not enough to get out of a beginner's class. And I'm  _still_  miles behind the others. Then there were crunches in jazz class. It's jazz class. Isn't it supposed to be dancing and not conditioning?"

Mike laughed, and Kurt felt indignant. "Don't laugh at me, I'm not part of this dancey universe."

"Sorry," Mike said. "Not laughing  _at_  you. Just, you know, conditioning is important."

"Says the king of the six pack abs." Kurt watched Mike blush. "Don't be ashamed, Mike."

Mike shook his head. "I'm just not used to people noticing, you know?"

"Yeah." Kurt sighed, remembering what it had felt like when he'd been invisible, and how odd it had been at first to bare his body for Finn and Puck. "I thought dancers didn't care about that. I mean, isn't dance pretty much about being an exhibitionist?"

Mike made a really undignified snort and plunked his forehead onto the open pages of his book. "I never thought about it that way, but I guess you're right. I wonder what that says about me."

Kurt took a breath and considered  _not_  teasing Mike, but he'd opened the door to it and Kurt couldn't resist. He rested a gentle hand on Mike's foot. "Maybe you like being watched. Good thing, too," he added with a smirk, "because  _I_  like watching."

Mike stammered out the beginning of a useless response before he stopped and gave up. Kurt just laughed, and eventually Mike recovered enough to grin, his face scarlet.

"I don't know what to  _do_  when you do that," he protested.

"Do what? Flirt, or overshare?"

This time Mike's laugh was more relaxed. "Uh, either one, I guess." He shook his head. "Nobody flirts with me."

Kurt smiled. "It took me a long time to learn how." He thought about Adam, how the anonymity of those first phone calls helped more than anything. "When I don't have to hide things, like I do at school, I tend to lose my filter. I don't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"It's okay," he whispered, knotting his hands. "I guess I just wonder what... um, what I should do. Because you're - there's you and Finn, I mean, and... and Blaine, and Puck, and... there are more, right?"

Kurt nodded. "They're not in town, but yes. There are more."

Mike's own head bobbed in return. He bit his lip. "So you, all of you... I mean, are you thinking  _I'm_  going to... not that you would, I'm just..." His eyes closed. "I'm sorry. This is ridiculous. Of course you don't."

Kurt regarded Mike and chose his next words carefully. "I learned a long time ago not to assume anything about what other people may think or feel. So... can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," Mike said, but his expression told Kurt he was anything but sure.

"Have you ever been attracted to other guys?" He knew, of course, because Tina had told him, but Kurt thought that maybe Mike needed to say it to someone else.

"You mean Finn didn't . . .?" Mike trailed off.

"I didn't what?" Finn padded out of the bathroom, dressed but still damp-looking.

"Tell Kurt about, um..." Mike blushed again and ducked his head. "You know."

"Oh!" Finn crinkled his eyes in a smile. "Yeah," he said to Kurt. "The day you guys got your letters for here? Mike kissed me." He settled cross-legged on the floor next to them.

Mike looked at Finn incredulously. "You didn't tell him."

"Nah," Finn replied with a tip of one shoulder. "Not my secret to tell, man. Trust me, we both know how to keep secrets."

Kurt held Finn's gaze for a moment, smiling, to let him know that he wasn't upset that Finn hadn't told him, then looked back to Mike. "Did it help you figure anything out?"

"I don't know," Mike said, shaking his head. "I think it made things more confusing."

Finn nudged Mike with his knee. "Been there. Sometimes you just have to relax and let things happen. You'll figure it out when the time is right."

Kurt was feeling a little extraneous, because he'd never really questioned who he was, but he'd learned a lot in the last two years. "It's not a race," he added gently.

"Trust me, I'm not in any hurry." Mike let out a shaky laugh. "I've been waiting a long time to talk about it at all. And I think I need to wait a little longer before I do anything about it. I mean - not that I'm going to do anything." His face went red. Kurt reached out a hand and put it on his shoulder, and he just about jumped out of his skin.

_I know how that feels,_  Kurt thought, and without any pause he reached out the other hand and pulled Mike into a tight hug.

"Don't worry," he murmured. "You've got friends. You've got  _us._  And you don't have to be scared. Nothing's going to happen."

"Really?" Kurt felt Mike go limp in his arms.

Kurt gave Finn a pointed look over Mike's shoulder. Finn raised an eyebrow and said nothing. "Really," he affirmed. "Nothing you don't want. You don't have to worry."

Kurt released Mike, and Finn was right there pressing Mike's phone into his hand. "Why don't you give Tina a call? I bet you miss her like crazy."

Mike nodded, and took his phone with shaking hands. "I think . . . I think I'm going to take a walk and talk to Tina. Maybe get a pop or something."

"Good," Finn said, patting Mike on the shoulder. "Don't worry, we won't sock the door while you're gone."

Mike smiled weakly at that. "Thanks," he mumbled, grabbing his key off the top of the dresser before heading into the hall. Kurt waited until the door was closed and Mike's footsteps were lost under the music pounding from the room next door before leaning into Finn's arms.

"I forgot how it felt, being confused," he said into Finn's t-shirt.

Finn stroked his back, holding him close. "It was only a few years ago that  _I_  was feeling like that." Kurt felt the rumble of his laugh. "Hell, I still feel confused half the time."

"I think that's normal?" Kurt looked into Finn's eyes and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. "I mean, we're all still in high school, and there's so much going on all the time."

Kurt felt Finn's hand tighten at the back of his neck, and Kurt leaned in closer, kissed harder and deeper, until Finn was groaning into his mouth. "Now I wish I hadn't promised that to Mike," he said, his breathing uneven and eyes dark with need. "I miss you, Kurt."

Kurt's breath hitched, and he curled his fingers around the waistband of Finn's shorts. "I miss you too, sweetheart." He slid his hand under the fabric, let his hand drift over Finn's cock, already hard and ready. "I can take care of that for you. You know I can be fast." He rose up on his tiptoes to whisper into Finn's ear. "Remember the janitor's closet."

Finn half-laughed, half-moaned his response, bucking against Kurt's light touch. "God... I'd almost forgotten sophomore year. I can't believe we ever did that stuff at school without a lock on the door. But, baby..." He cupped Kurt's face in one hand, looking deep into his eyes, while the other went down to grip Kurt's ass. "That would be awesome, but... it's not exactly what I've been missing. And I don't think we can do  _that_  here."

Kurt shivered at the ideas Finn's words inspired. He rested his head on Finn's shoulder. "Hmmm... of the two things you might want to do with that part of my anatomy...?" Because  _either one_  would be awesome, but Kurt needed to know where Finn's head was.

Finn gave him a crooked smile. "Does it have to be one or the other?"

"No," Kurt assured him. "I don't know how people manage to keep them separate, honestly: discipline and sex. I mean, I know it happens - Carl does it, right? But it's so . . .  _intimate_."

"Tell me about it." Finn nodded. "You remember when Carl was first teaching me? He said he could give me what I needed without it being about sex, but you know that was a complete failure."

Kurt remembered all too well. Just talking about it was a total turn-on. "It doesn't matter, anyway, because I didn't bring any tools, so we're just going to have to manage for the next month." Kurt shook his head in despair. " _Why_  didn't I bring any tools?"

Finn gave his ass another squeeze. "Who needs tools?" he breathed, and kissed him on the neck. Kurt shivered, because Finn had found that spot that never failed to make him weak-kneed. "It's okay, baby. I'm just teasing you. I can wait a few more weeks. I think." He pulled Kurt's hips close against his thigh and gave him a little grind. "For some things, anyway. But you mentioned something about... being fast?"

Kurt wedged his hand back between them and deftly popped the button on Finn's shorts. He hummed in contemplation. "You think I'm still as fast as I was back then?"

"Well, I'm not going to time you or anything," Finn grinned, and Kurt backed him up against the door before tugging his shorts and underwear down.

"Quiet now," Kurt said before sinking to his knees and taking Finn in his mouth. Finn stifled his groan against the side of one hand, bracing himself against the wall with the other.

"I can do that," he whispered, gazing down at Kurt. "You give me just what I need, baby."

Kurt just opened his throat and took Finn as deep as he could, working his tongue around and around until Finn gripped his hair and tugged.

" _Fuck_ , Kurt. Just . . .  _let me_  . . ." Finn was on the edge of incoherent, and Kurt knew exactly what Finn needed. He kept his head still against the firm pressure of Finn's hands and let Finn fuck his mouth. They'd done this so many times, but it never stopped amazing Kurt how much power he had over Finn when he was on his knees like this. It was heady and intense, because he knew he was giving Finn something he needed and wanted so desperately, but it gave Kurt what he needed in return, too.

He smiled around Finn's cock when Finn gasped, because he knew what it meant, knew that Finn was on the edge. He sucked just a little harder, and that was all Finn needed before he was coming hard down Kurt's throat.

"Oh, man," Finn let his head fall back against the door with a light thunk. "You're  _so_  good at that _._ "

Kurt leaned his head against Finn's leg, smiling. "I considered stopping at the end, there," he said, "and not letting you come."

"Not letting me, huh?" Finn laughed, surprised. "I'm wondering what could have stopped me."

"Oh, I don't know." Kurt brushed a hand over Finn's bare stomach. "I could have done it, but I figured that would be a little mean." He dug his nails into the skin under his navel, feeling Finn tense. "And I bet you'll come again after I fuck you in the shower."

Finn groaned, then laughed and tugged his t-shirt over his head. "Race you there," he said.

Kurt couldn't resist reaching out and letting a light smack fall on Finn's bare ass as he scooted past. "Do I need to call Carl and tell him you're being a brat?" Kurt teased, and Finn turned to him with a grin on his face.

"No,  _sir,_ " he replied with a wink.

**0M0**

Mike didn't even get to the elevator before he was dialing Tina's number. She was speed dial #1, but even so, he had her number memorized. There was nobody like Tina in Mike's life.

_And here I am, having stupid dreams about guys._ He shook his head, nibbling on his thumbnail, feeling far too unworthy to be calling his girlfriend with those thoughts in his head. But she answered, and he didn't hang up.

"Mike? I didn't think I'd hear from you yet. How's B-W?" Tina sounded happy to hear from him, and more than a little puzzled.

"Tina," he said, already feeling the tears lurking just behind the word, and he stopped and swallowed before going on. "It's great. I can tell I'm going to learn a lot, but... I just... I miss you."

"I miss you, too." She giggled. "I almost called Rachel today, just to have someone to talk to, but I don't really like her well enough to actually go through with it. I can't wait to go to camp next week."

Mike slipped into the elevator, nodding at a group of girls as they made their way down the hall. "I'm sure it'll be great, too. You'll have to tell me about your roommate. Uh... we're tripling up here, because of a burst pipe or something... I'm staying with Kurt and Finn."

"Really?" He could have sworn that Tina almost choked on her words, but if she did, she recovered quickly. "How's that going?"

"Really. And they're being really... good. I mean, you know about them, and... I think they decided to use this summer as a chance to be... out, together? But, uh, they've been polite about  _not_  doing stuff in front of me." He coughed. "Mostly."

"What, did you walk in on them kissing or something?"

Mike sighed as he leaned his head on the wall of the elevator. "Not exactly. They... in the middle of the night, when they thought I was asleep..."

"Oh!" Tina giggled again. "Was it . . . um. That must have been . . ."

Mike could have filled in that space with all kinds of words, but he was nearly frantic to hear what she was going to say. "What? It must have been what?"

" _Hot_ ," Tina whispered into the phone.

"Yeah," Mike blurted, before he could stop himself. "Wait, what?"

"Guys together is hot," Tina said again, a little louder. Mike watched the numbers blink down until the elevator settled on the first floor and the doors opened on a large group of kids waiting to get on.

"Hey, Mike," said one of the girls. "Are you okay? You look kind of flushed."

Mike pointed at his phone.  _Girlfriend_ , he mouthed, and the girl nodded and smiled at him. The boy next to her gave him a thumbs up, and he pressed through the crowd to get outside as fast as he could. It was almost dark, and the night was warm and sticky.

"You really think so?" he murmured, his hand cupped over his phone.

"Oh, yeah," she sighed. He suddenly realized he had to sit down before he fell over. He stumbled over to a stone bench by the sidewalk, sinking down, his knees shaking.

"That's kind of... well, a relief, I guess. And maybe it makes me feel not so guilty about... how I feel. Because it's been on my mind." He rubbed his forehead. "A lot."

"Oh, Mike..." She sighed. "I was hoping you wouldn't be worried about that. They're just feelings, right? You can't do anything about your feelings."

Mike heaved a sigh, and shook his head even though Tina couldn't see him. "I  _could_ ," he said, not quite believing that he was even admitting it out loud. "I mean, some of my  _feelings_  are sleeping two beds down from me every night."

"You... oh." Tina didn't respond for a moment. "You like... Finn? Kurt?" She dropped to a whisper. "Both of them?"

"Maybe. I don't know." Mike hoped his answers were good enough and Tina wasn't going to ask him to spell anything out. He honestly wasn't sure he could, even if he wanted to.

"Well... you know what I said, before you left. I still feel like what happens at music camp can stay at music camp. But... Mike, Finn and Kurt, they're kind of... coming home with you."

"I'm not going to do anything. I just..." He sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm just confused, and a little embarrassed. They're my friends and roommates. And it isn't like they don't have enough people in their relationship already. Why would either of them be interested in me?"

Tina's laugh made him feel so homesick, he just had to hug himself and shiver for a minute. "God,  _really?_  Baby. Come on. Be serious. Do you want me to name the many, many reasons why they should be completely hot for you? I mean, maybe they didn't think you were sleeping the other night. Maybe that was all for you."

"No," Mike said. "No, I'm sure they thought I was sleeping, because Kurt said that they couldn't do that every night in case I heard. They really don't want to make me uncomfortable." He smiled a little at the thought of it. "They're being so nice."

"They're good guys," Tina said, and was quiet for a moment. "They wouldn't hurt you, you know. If you wanted to... explore things. With them."

Mike wasn't sure what Tina was telling him, exactly. "Do I . . . are you saying I have your permission to, um. With  _them?"_

She laughed again, and this time it was low and sexy and made him miss her in all different ways. "I kind of can't believe I'm saying this, but... sure. I trust Kurt as much as I trust anyone, and Finn - if you like him, then... well, I guess that's up to you and him. I can't promise I wouldn't be a little jealous, though."

"Oh," he said unhappily. "I don't want you to feel like that. I love you. This... whatever it is I'm feeling about them, it's just... it's not what we have. At all."

"I know." She sounded confident and calm. He relaxed a little. "But I also know I'm not a guy. Whatever you want from guys, I think I'd feel best about you exploring it with our friends."

"Really?" Mike didn't fully understand how Tina could be okay with it at all. He wasn't even sure  _he_  was okay with it.

"Yeah, I think so. Maybe it'd help me feel a little less left out." Her voice became sly. "So the other night, when they were sure you were sleeping. Did you...  _do_  anything about it?"

Mike choked, and felt the burn of a blush stinging his neck and ears. "No!" he said.

"Really?" Tina's voice was light and teasing.

"Well." He thought about his shower the following morning, about the heat of the water pounding on his back while he... his blush intensified. "I went back to sleep, but a dream woke me up."

"Tell me," she demanded.

Mike swallowed and glanced around him to make sure nobody could hear. "It wasn't anything specific, really. Just, um.  _Hands?_  And there were two people." He lowered his voice to a whisper. " _Touching me_."

"So what did you do?"

"God,  _Tina!_ "

"Miiiike," she teased. "I won't tell anyone. And it's perfectly normal, you know. Girls do it, too."

Mike hung his head. "I  _so_  didn't need to know that."

"Oh, my god. How is it that we have awesome sex and you still can't even talk about it?"

"Because talking is . . . talking. And you know I'm not really good at that."

"Yeah," Tina said. Mike thought about what she'd told him, when they were curled together in her bed after their first time, about being so shy and afraid that she'd actually faked a stutter. She understood him in a way nobody ever had, before, and he didn't want to hurt her.

"I can't," he said. "Please don't make me tell you."

"How about . . ." she trailed off, sounding like she was thinking really hard. "How about I tell you what I think you did?"

Mike was completely speechless. Tina apparently took this as an affirmative, because her words began, slow and hypnotic, like she was telling a spooky ghost story.

"I bet you wore your boxers to bed. And when you woke up from your dream, you were... hard. Weren't you?"

He gripped the stone bench with his free hand and his phone with the other, feeling his traitorous body respond to her words. "Tina," he whispered.

"And you got out of bed really quietly, so nobody would hear you or see you, and you tiptoed into the bathroom. You turned on the shower, waited for it to get hot."

"Yeah," he said, not sure how she knew him so well. Was he that transparent, that predictable?

"Then you got in, under the water, leaving your boxers on the floor of the bathroom." Her sigh got in under his skin and made him feel prickly all over. "Sorry... just caught up in thinking about you naked."

"It's, um, okay," he squeaked. He shifted on the bench, curled his toes to try and ease some of the tension rolling through him.

"And I've never actually seen you do this, but... well, you're a guy, so... I bet you put your hand on yourself, and...  _stroked."_

The word caused an embarrassingly strong reaction in the anatomy in question, and Mike hunched over, hoping nobody would notice.

"Yeah," Mike said. Tina was being so brazen, talking like that with him, and he felt like he should give her a little something back. "I did. It, um. Didn't take long."  _Oh, god_ , he thought.  _Did I really just say that?_

"I bet," she said, laughing. "I've heard Quinn talk about how Finn used to have this problem... finishing too quickly, I guess. I wonder if it's the same when he's with Kurt. But you don't have that. At least you haven't with me."

Mike felt his heartbeat speed up, and he was suddenly nervous and uncomfortable. "You know that I love you, right? I mean, just because I . . . did that . . . it doesn't mean I don't love you, because I  _do_. I just . . ."

"I know," Tina said. "I know you're confused. That's okay. And I love you, so I need to let you figure yourself out. You need to try things out so you can understand what's going on for you. Just... promise me one thing?"

Mike felt like he didn't deserve Tina's kindness or understanding. "Anything," he said.

"At the end of all of this, come home to  _me_." She sounded young and vulnerable, and so different from the girl who'd just been talking about sex with him.

"Of course. Yes." He wished he could hold her hand and look into her eyes, so she could know he meant it. "I'm coming home in a month. To you."

Saying goodbye was easier than he'd expected, because Tina had quelled some of his worst fears. And, really, after that conversation, his thoughts were almost entirely on what had happened in that shower. When they'd both hung up, he slipped his phone into his pocket and made his way back into the dorm. He really wanted to get ready for bed and then just  _think_  about things.

He didn't knock or anything when he got back to the room, because like Finn had promised, there was no sock on the door. But the room was empty, and Mike was puzzled until he heard water running in the bathroom.

Water running, and two voices.

"Oh,  _fuck,_ Kurt!" Finn's words were almost guttural, and something coiled full of wanting in Mike's belly.

"That's right," Kurt said, sounding patient and encouraging as always, but there was a tension there that ratcheted up the heat in the room. Mike found himself leaning on the door, one ear resting on the wood, his hands on his thighs.  _I shouldn't. They don't know I'm here._  But he didn't move away. "You're taking it, sweetheart... what I've got for you, you need it. God, you look so hot like that. A little more, now... come on, take it..."

Mike felt his hands drifting toward his stomach, his feelings of guilt completely overridden by the sounds of Kurt, doing...  _things..._  to Finn in the shower. The pictures in his head were cloudy, but the sensations were crystal clear, and Mike gripped himself as he heard Finn groan louder.

_Tina said all guys do it,_ he thought. And he'd definitely heard guys talking about it in the locker room. And it wasn't like he'd  _never..._  but always in the privacy of his own bathroom, or sometimes at night in bed, when nobody was around. Never in a room with two other guys having loud, graphic sex on the other side of a thin door.

"Yeah, that's it," Kurt urged. "Keep your hands up there on the wall. I'll take care of you."

The thought of Kurt  _taking care_  of Finn - and Mike had several very detailed memories of Finn, naked and wet from the shower, courtesy of football practices and gym class, to draw on here - was almost more than he could handle. He slipped his hand inside his shorts and wrapped his hand around his cock, already hard and leaking.  _I can't believe I'm -_  was about all he had time for before he heard Kurt let out a devastating moan, and he was spilling over his own fist.

"Oh god, Kurt, fuck, that's - yeah, like that, god, I'm coming -" Finn's own finish was a tight, desperate whine, and Mike felt his legs go weak, hearing their tandem sounds, the rhythm of their heavy breathing over the shower. He was pretty sure he'd never be able to erase those words from his memory. He was torn between escaping back to his own bed to change before they came out of the shower, and staying to hear the end, but Kurt's finish wasn't long behind Finn's.

Kurt's next words were more confusing, but not any less powerful, and Mike shook his head as he heard him say, "Am I a good boy?"

"God. Yes." Finn was laughing, and the water shut off. "You're so good. And I needed that  _so_  much."

Mike decided there was no way he could stand there in sticky shorts and look Kurt in the eye, so he moved as quickly as he could, stripping off his boxers and digging another pair out of his drawer. By the time he was dressed again, Finn and Kurt were still drying off, talking and laughing in the bathroom. He cleared his throat, and heard them go quiet.

"Hey, guys," he called. "Just wanted you to know... I'm here."

"Thanks," they chorused, and he heard Kurt giggle. The door opened, and Finn stepped out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist. It wasn't any different from the other times Mike had seen him like that, but... of course, it completely was.  _I just heard you get something I never imagined you'd want,_  he thought about saying.  _From Kurt. And you seemed to really like it._

Finn looked sheepish. "Sorry, man," he said. "I don't know how much you heard, but..."

"Some," Mike said, staring at his hands. He made himself smile back at Finn. "Kind of a lot."

Finn chuckled, and a light blush spread across his face. "Uh, yeah. Well... if you have any questions, or anything, I'm happy to talk about it. 'Cause I remember how confusing it all was for me, even with Kurt to... talk to."

Mike didn't think he'd ever,  _ever_  be able to ask Finn questions about what he'd just heard. But then he thought about Tina, saying  _whatever you want from guys, I think I'd feel best about you exploring it with our friends._

"You and Kurt?" he said, looking up. "You guys were... together, first? I thought you and Puck..."

Finn's expression grew distant. "Well, Kurt helped me figure out my feelings about guys, before I knew Puck even wanted that from me. And we became friends, and kind of... messed around, I guess. We weren't dating, but it was more than just casual sex. I fell in love with him."

Finn's words were so casual, so straightforward, that Mike found himself relaxing. "Wow. But Kurt, he knew you were... uh, having feelings for Puck?"

"Yeah." Finn turned as Kurt came out of the bathroom in his robe, and reached out his hand. "Baby, come here."

Kurt's face was red, but he did as Finn asked, slipping an arm around his waist and leaning against his shoulder as he smiled at Mike. "I'm really embarrassed," he admitted.

"Hey, at least you waited until I was out of the room this time," Mike said, and Kurt buried his face in Finn's chest.

"I  _knew_  you were awake," he groaned.

Mike watched the two of them together, standing so close, being so comfortable with one another. He thought of Kurt and Puck at school, how they seldom touched outside of Glee, even though they'd been out for so long, and how tentative Blaine was to be close with Kurt at all, even though everyone knew about their relationship, too.

"It's good," said Mike. "I mean... to see you guys together. Because you deserve it." He reached out and touched Kurt's wrist, and Kurt took his hand, looking at it in surprise. Then he smiled.

"Thank you." Kurt stretched his arms over his head, and Mike heard his vertebrae cracking lightly as he groaned. "Oh, much better." Mike laughed.

"You should have heard it, in ballet this morning," he said, steadfastly keeping his eyes off Finn as he got dressed. "We all did our grand pliés and the whole room was nothing but joints popping."

Kurt nodded. "Yeah, in my class too. Hey." He rested his hand on Mike's shoulder. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Mike tried to smile, but he felt overwhelmed and unsure. Part of him just wanted to crawl into bed and hide, but after Kurt had said  _honesty,_  there was no way he could hide this. "Okay, no."

"I'm sorry," Kurt said unhappily. He glanced at the bathroom. "We honestly thought we'd be done before you got back."

"It's your room too," Mike said, his cheeks burning. "You don't have to apologize."

Kurt squeezed his shoulder gently, and moved in close. "It's  _our_  room. And I always want you to tell me if anything Finn or I do makes you uncomfortable."

"Okay," he said. He wasn't sure how he could say that  _everything_  made him a little uncomfortable, but knew he didn't want Kurt or Finn to stop being themselves. And he definitely couldn't say how much he'd enjoyed listening to them in the bathroom.

"You're tired," Kurt observed, rubbing his thumb gently over Mike's collarbone. "You need sleep. Everything else can wait till tomorrow, okay?"

Mike blinked at Kurt. Finn was just sitting on his bed, watching them placidly. "Okay," he said again. He wasn't really sure what was happening, why he was letting Kurt manage him without argument like that.

"Go take your shower," Kurt inclined his head toward the bathroom.

"And then what?" Mike couldn't help asking. "Are you going to tuck me in or something?"

Kurt just smiled at him. "Or something."

Mike didn't mean to hurry his shower, but his pulse was so light and quick in his throat at the thought of the  _something_  that he washed in what felt like seconds. He tugged on clean boxers and a t-shirt while he was still wet. The cotton stuck to his skin, but he didn't care. He brushed his teeth and finger-combed his hair, and padded back into the room to find Finn and Kurt talking in whispers on Finn's bed, Kurt curled up in the crook of Finn's body.

They both looked up at Mike, and Kurt greeted him with a smile. "Better?"

"Much," Mike said, moving toward his bed.

Kurt shook his head, and patted the space next to him on Finn's mattress. "Come here."

Mike went over and sat, still not sure why he was following Kurt's instructions without questioning them, but when he paused to think about it, he realized he'd stopped feeling anxious.

Kurt put a hand on Mike's knee. It was soft, and warm, and Mike relaxed. It just felt  _safe_.

"We've talked it over, Mike," said Kurt, "and Finn and I can help you, if you want. As much as you're comfortable with."

"What if..." Mike felt his voice edge into a whine. "What if I don't  _know_  what I want? Or what I'm comfortable with?"

Kurt levelled him with a steady gaze. "That's okay, too." He shifted so that he was close to Mike, and his breath was hot against Mike's cheek. "How about we start with... this?" He felt Kurt's hand resting on the back of his neck, pulling them together, and then Kurt was kissing him.

It was different from kissing Tina, or even from kissing Finn that day in the bathroom. Mike could almost hear Kurt's voice telling him  _it's okay_  and  _you can want this_ ,  _you're safe here_. Kurt's lips were firm and insistent, and Mike opened his mouth under the pressure. He heard himself moan when Kurt's tongue flicked against his bottom lip and slid into his mouth, because it felt  _so good._

He heard Finn's breath speed up, and reached out instinctively, craving the pressure of Kurt's body against his, but Kurt was pulling away with a light laugh.

"Slow down," Kurt said. "We have three more weeks to decide what's next, if anything."

"Okay," Mike said, staring at Kurt's lips. They'd just touched his, and he wasn't freaking out. "I think... I don't know what else, but... I'm pretty sure I want more of  _that."_

Finn's free arm reached around him and gave him a half-hug. Mike felt Finn's kiss on his cheek. "That's cool," he whispered, and the sensation of his voice, so close to his skin, made Mike shiver. "Anytime."

Mike turned his head to face Finn abruptly, feeling Kurt's startled eyes on them, and breathed a few tentative breaths into Finn's mouth before Finn kissed him. The fear was unexpectedly less with Kurt there, and he let himself lean into the kiss for several delicious beats. He thought, randomly, that it had probably been a  _good_  thing that he'd done...  _that_ , while they'd been in the shower, or else he would be really embarrassing himself right now.

Finn's eyes were glassy and his pupils dilated when Mike sat back, leaning against the support of Kurt's body. "Uh," Finn said. "Wow. You're a really good kisser."

"Really?" Mike said, laughing, because Tina had told him the same thing, but he hadn't really believed her. But Finn, he'd kissed  _everybody at school,_  so Mike figured he should know _._  "You think so?"

"Mmmm," said Kurt, licking his lips. "The two of you are delicious. But Mike and I have studio class in the morning, and it's getting late." He gave Mike a little nudge. "Go on, or I really  _will_  tuck you into bed."

"Kurt," Mike protested, but then he was arrested by Finn's smile, and felt drawn toward him again.

"You think he's kidding," Finn murmured. He kissed Mike one more time. "He's not."

_What are you guys doing to me?_  Mike wanted to ask, but he was almost afraid of the answer. So he unfolded himself from their collective embrace and stood, stumbling over to his bed and pulling up the blanket over himself. He wondered what it might feel like if Kurt really did tuck him in... but he didn't go there. Instead, he waited under his covers for Kurt to kiss Finn goodnight, then Kurt switched off the light and said into the darkness, "Sleep well, sweetheart."

"You too, baby," said Finn. There was a long pause. "Mike?"

"Yeah," he said, his voice coming out unexpectedly hoarse.

"We might... wake up in the middle of the night, again," he said. "Probably not tonight, but... sometime. Me and Kurt, we might want to do some of that same stuff we were doing in the shower."

Mike was holding his breath, and he let it out before saying, "Okay."

"So I just wanted to know if that would bother you? 'Cause if it does, we'll wait until during the day, and... the sock. But if it doesn't..." He trailed off.

"It... doesn't," Mike settled on, finally.

"Okay," said Finn. "And it's okay, if you want to listen."

"Oh," Mike whispered. "Uh..."

"Go to sleep, boys," said Kurt severely, and there weren't any more words after that.

But Mike woke in the middle of the night from another vivid, confusing dream, this one definitely involving both Finn and Kurt and their mouths, not kissing, but doing other things, and he didn't even bother to get out of bed this time. He just groped under the covers for his cock and stroked furiously until he gasped, hearing Finn's voice echoing in his head:  _Oh god, Kurt, fuck, that's - yeah, like that, god, I'm coming..._

"You okay, Mike?" said Kurt's melodic voice.

Mike lay panting in the dark.  _Oh, god, Kurt,_  he heard again in his memory.

"I think so?" he said, sounding only a little hysterical.

He heard Kurt shift in his bed, get out from under his covers, and pad barefoot across the floor to Mike's. "Move over," he said, and Mike scooted to the side, hastily wiping his sticky hand on his sheets. Kurt sat down next to him. His pajamas were made of some smooth, slippery fabric, and Mike could feel the buttons against his bare arm. "I'm going to lie behind you, and put my arms around you, and you're going to go back to sleep."

"Okay," Mike said. He rolled over to one side, facing away from Kurt. Kurt pulled the covers up to their shoulders before wrapping one arm over and tucking both legs behind Mike.

"Shhhh," he said, a noise Mike hadn't heard since he was a kid, and kissed his ear. "Go to sleep, sweetheart."

Mike didn't even think about Kurt's presence behind him, or his own rear end, pressed up against some very intimate places on Kurt's body. He just closed his eyes and breathed, and soon he was asleep.

**0M0**

Mike woke early again, when the rose light of sunrise was peeking under the blinds. Kurt was still tucked around him, warm and breathing softly on the back of Mike's neck. He slipped out from under Kurt's arm, careful not to wake him, and made a quick detour to the bathroom to clean up before changing into shorts and a t-shirt. He stuffed his feet into his sneakers and headed out into the hall. He didn't think he needed to dance, but he needed to do  _something_ , and the familiar rhythm of running felt appealing.

The halls were quiet, but when the elevator opened into the lobby, he saw the African American counselor Kurt had been talking to the first day.

"Hey," Mike nodded at him.

"You're up early," the guy said. "Aren't you Kurt's friend?"

"Yeah," Mike said. "I'm Mike."

"Darius," the guy said, holding out his hand to shake Mike's. "I did a show with Will, Toby, Kurt and Blaine last summer. Toby tells me you're a hell of a dancer."

Mike threw his head back and groaned lightly. "Sometimes I feel like I don't even know my friends at all."

"Why's that?"

Mike shook his head. "God. It's like, the people I know from home are so different here, and I think  _I'm_  different here, too, and it's only been three days. What am I going to look like in a month?"

"Different how?" Darius cocked his head and peered at Mike curiously.

"Just . . ." Mike waved his hand in the air. "Toby, inviting me to help him teach his baby ballet class. And Kurt is like, super confident, and he and Finn . . ." He didn't even know what to  _call_  what had happened last night. Not just the kissing, but Kurt making sure he was okay and going back to sleep.

"Were you headin' out for a run?" Darius eyeballed Mike's sneakers.

"Yeah," Mike said. "Dancing here is fine, but I need to keep up the running for football. We're reigning district champs."

"I'm not a runner," Darius said, "but I'll jog with you a bit, if you want." He glanced around the empty lobby. "I know it's early, but the walls in this place have ears and gossip'll spread faster than you can run on your best day."

"No offense," Mike said with a shake of his head, "but I'm not sure I'm in a mood to talk right now."

Darius shrugged. "I get that." He nodded toward the doors leading to the corridor off the lobby where the youngest campers were housed. "I'm just down at the end, in 115, if you ever need anything. And I'm always up early."

"Thanks, I guess," Mike said. He was itching to get out into the morning and lose himself in the rhythm of his sneakers on the pavement.

"Whatever's going on, it'll all work out in the end," Darius said with what was probably meant to be an encouraging smile. Mike just grimaced, because he wasn't sure how he felt about Darius knowing his business, even if the guy was friends with Kurt.

Mike shrugged at him. "If you say so."

"Hey," Darius said with a gentle, friendly bump to Mike's shoulder. "I'm the grownup. I know so." He nodded at the door. "You take your run. And make sure to eat breakfast if you've got class this morning."

Mike beat feet to the door before he could get dragged back into conversation, and wondered what was seriously  _up_  with all these people wanting to make sure he ate.


	4. July 2011, Week Two

**Chapter Four: June 2011, Week Two**

Kurt flopped onto his bed with hardly a thought to the fact that he was still in his workout pants and tank top, or that he was sweaty. He'd dropped his bag on the floor at his feet, and he didn't even have enough energy to get his legs all the way onto the bed. He half-lifted his head and caught Mike's eye. "I'm so tired," Kurt whispered.

"I know," Mike groaned. "And I hurt."

"I think I might hate Toby right now, for making me think I could do this." Kurt shook his head, even though Mike couldn't see him.

"You? He's got me practicing that stupid variation. He thinks I should do it in the honors recital." Mike's voice was soft, but Kurt could hear the panic behind his words.

"What variation?"

Mike sighed. "For my college audition."

"Oh. I didn't realize . . ."

Mike sat up in a rush. "I don't know if I'm actually going to go through with it. I don't think I'm good enough, and my dad would never pay for college if I majored in dance."

Kurt shook his head fondly, recognizing the insecurity in Mike's words, and put a hand on his shoulder. "You're a fantastic dancer, Mike. I know it, even if you don't. And so does Toby." He gave him a gentle squeeze, eliciting a groan. "Are you sore here?"

Mike nodded, wincing. "Partnering class. Sucks."

Kurt squeezed again, and Mike let out another vaguely obscene noise. They were only a little distracted by the door opening and Finn ducking in, smiling at them both, looking entirely too chipper for the end of a day. "Hey, guys. Jeez, you look as beat as I feel."

Kurt glared at him. "You get to make  _zero_  comments about being tired, until you've spent as much time dancing as we have. Or until you rub my calves until they stop hurting." He paused, glancing speculatively at Mike. "Better yet, rub Mike's."

"I'm o-okay," Mike assured him hastily, pulling away from Kurt's hands.

Finn dropped to the floor and took one of Mike's legs in his hands. "Nah, man, let me. I'm really good at this."

"He is," Kurt nodded enthusiastically, and shifted so Mike could lean against him.

"God," Mike groaned, relaxing under the pressure of Finn's thumbs. Kurt knew exactly how good that felt, Finn's big, capable hands working his muscles, and he sighed in sympathetic response, placing a casual kiss on Mike's neck right next to the spot where he'd squeezed. It was indicative of just how relaxed Mike was becoming that he didn't tense up again at Kurt's touch.

"You'll be jell-o in no time," Kurt said, running a hand down Mike's arm and letting it settle gently over the back of his hand.

Finn finished one leg, and was just reaching for the other when a tiny ball of energy barrelled through their half-open door. "Finn!" She lifted one hand, which was wrapped around the neck of a bottle of something surely alcoholic, and waggled it at him in an enticing manner. "This is your room, right? 305."

"Delia," Finn sighed, and he waved at her weakly.

"You  _have_  to come play with us! We never see you outside of class. You can't hide away all summer."

Kurt eyed her warily. She was wearing yoga pants and a sports bra, and her red hair was tufting out of two braids down her back.  _I bet she's got crazy curls,_  he thought, and moved his hand to rest a little possessively on Finn's shoulder.

"Who's your friend?" Kurt dropped his voice, so Delia couldn't hear.

"Oh!" Finn shrugged Kurt's hand off, and nodded. "Right. Delia, this is Kurt, and Mike. Guys, this is Delia. She's in my acting class, and in girls' chorus."

Delia glanced at Kurt, then at Mike, but neither one stuck, and her gaze slid right back to Finn. "Hey," she said vaguely. "Finn, you  _have_  to come down to our room. Joanie has a blender and we're making margaritas, and we're going to play drinking games."

Kurt watched Finn trying valiantly to resist laughing. He knew exactly what Finn was thinking. "And you don't have to be the designated driver this time," Kurt added sweetly. Finn shot him an amused glance.

"Yeah, none of us do," he said, rising to his feet. He held out one hand to Mike and the other to Kurt. Now his smile was inviting. "C'mon. It'll be... fun."

Kurt shook his head. "I don't know, Finn. I told you about what happened with April Rhodes."

Finn nodded, oddly serious. "Poor E- um, Miss P. Her shoes were never the same."

"Oh," Delia turned her smile on Kurt. "Is April your girlfriend?"

Mike choked, and Finn looked scandalized. Kurt just gave Delia an incredulous look. "Where are you from?"

"Canton," Delia shrugged. "Why?"

"Oh, my god," Kurt rolled his eyes. "I'm  _gay_."

Delia blinked at him a few times. "Oh. Okay. I'll grab Heath and Jamie on the way. They're gay, too," she said in a stage whisper. "And I think they're single."

She raced out the door, and Kurt backed carefully out of the room after her, his eyes fixed on Finn. "I  _hate_  you and your girlfriends. Hate. You."

"She thinks you're single," Mike said, trailing the both of them into the hall. He glanced at Finn. "And she thinks you're  _straight_."

"Yeah, well," Finn said, with a rueful grin. "I don't really have to work too hard to stay in the closet. But I thought I was doing a pretty good job of  _trying_  to be out, this week."

Kurt smirked. "Well, after tonight, I bet we'll fix that."

"What do you mean?" Mike asked. Finn looked as blank as Mike did.

Now Kurt stared at both of them. "Have you guys never played drinking games?"

"You have?" Finn sounded surprised.

"Please, Finn. You've been to Dalton; you know how much they drink. And you boys are in for an education." He stretched out the word, discretely pronouncing all four syllables.

"So is Delia, I think." Finn smiled and rubbed his hands together. "I can't wait to see this!"

Delia's room was already full by the time they got there, so Kurt ended up sitting on the floor at Finn's feet. Mike leaned uncomfortably against the wall next to the dresser. An African-American girl who had to be Delia's roommate Joanie pressed Dixie cups of sweet-tart liquid into their hands. Kurt liked it far too much to admit aloud. Mike wrinkled his nose at the smell, but he hung on to his cup.

Delia sat down conveniently close to Finn. "So we're going to play I Never."

"How do you play?" asked Finn.

"Just make a statement. I never... and something. Anyone who's  _ever_  done that thing has to take a drink. Not a big drink," Delia cautioned. "Just a little one. These are strong."

"Okay." Finn thought, and shrugged. "I've never... uh. Jeez." He looked perplexed. "I can't think of anything I've never done."

"Really?" Delia squeaked in surprise and laid a far-too-casual hand on Finn's chest. "I'll believe it when I see it."

Joanie settled in, and nodded to the boy on her right. "You're supposed to say something you've  _done,_  anyway. Chase, why don't you get us going."

"Sure," he said, pushing a clump of hair off his forehead. "I've never . . ." he looked into his cup. "Um. I've never kissed a girl," he said, and took a sip of his drink. Kurt sipped, as did Finn and Mike and all but one of the guys. A handful of the girls also drank, but that didn't surprise Kurt at all.

Chase elbowed the girl next to him. She shrugged. "I've never kissed a guy," she said before gulping her drink. Kurt smiled at Finn, and then Mike, and they all drank together. All the girls drank, that time, and about two thirds of the boys. That  _did_  surprise Kurt, but mostly because he'd sworn for so long he was the only gay kid in all of Ohio, and he wasn't used to people being so lackadaisical about things like that.

Kurt waited, and drank through  _I've never had a girlfriend_  (even though he'd only fake-dated Brittany), and  _I've never had a boyfriend_ , and  _I've never been out past 3 am_ , and  _I've never been drunk_. By the time it was his turn, he was feeling the pleasant buzz of alcohol in his body, and he  _knew_  his cheeks were blazing pink.

"I've never been tied up," he blurted, and the room went silent around the sound of his swallow.

"Uh... Kurt?" Finn put a hand on his shoulder, leaning forward to whisper in his ear. "Really? We're going there?"

Kurt set his drink carefully on the floor and rested his head in his hands. "I couldn't think of anything else."

Delia laughed, and Kurt thought that she sounded a lot like the bell on his old bike, the first one his dad had taught him to ride right after his mom died. "It's okay," she said with a smirk, and her eyes were sparkling as she took a drink.

"No shit," Finn said, looking impressed.

"Hey, don't knock it till you've tried it," she replied.

Finn kept his eyes on her as he drank, and she smacked his shoulder before he'd finished swallowing, fighting a grin. "Ow."

Kurt rubbed his hands over his burning cheeks, and fought the urge to run and hide.

"It's okay," Finn said, low and into his ear. "I'll make it better for you."

Kurt couldn't figure out what Finn meant, but then his voice was louder and firm. "I've never had sex with anyone over 21."

"That's not  _better_ ," Kurt groaned, resting his head on Finn's knee after taking a drink. But more than half the circle drank, so he didn't feel quite so bad. He could be thankful, at least, that Finn hadn't said  _I've never had sex with anyone over twice my age,_  because although that would have absolved Kurt from the need to drink, it wouldn't have helped Finn any.

Mike looked entirely scandalized by the time it got around to him, but he managed, "I've never had sex with a girl," to which only a few of the boys drank, Mike and Finn included, as well as a few of the girls. That set off a round of follow-up questions, and Kurt was off the hook.

Until it got back around to Delia. She was looking at Finn with a focused expression. "I've never had sex with a  _boy,"_  she said, and took a sip, watching him closely over the edge of her Dixie cup.

Finn gave her that half-smile that Kurt knew was guaranteed to melt anyone, boy or girl, and sipped back. Several of the girls joined them, but now the attention was back on Finn, and Kurt, and he was starting to feel a little warm. He unbuttoned the top button of his shirt.

"You really want to know?" Finn murmured. Delia inclined her head once, and waited. He took a deep, calculating breath. "Okay, then. I've never... had a threesome."

There were several incredulous giggles from the girls, but they died out quickly when both Kurt and Finn took a drink. He wished he could walk over and hold Mike's hand, because he looked like he might throw up or pass out at any moment, but he didn't want to call unwanted attention to him. Anyway, Kurt wasn't sure he could walk without embarrassing himself.

Kurt put a familiar hand on Finn's thigh, and brandished his drink into the air. "I've never had a flogger used on me." He jiggled his cup as Finn sputtered beside him. "And I'm out of margarita."

"What's a - a  _flogger?"_  Mike wondered, and he handed Kurt his half-full cup. "I think I'm through," he added with a lopsided grin. "I've run out of things I've done."

Finn took a careful drink, and blinked at Mike. "It's like, strips of suede or leather attached to a handle. For, um. You know.  _Discipline_?"

"Uh," Mike stammered. "No. I don't know."

"It's okay," Kurt said, hoping he came across as sympathetic as he felt. "Secrets," he whispered to Mike. "We have lots, and this is one. Was one."

"Baby," Finn said, shaking his head. "Secrets are things you  _don't_  say."

"I'm not so drunk that I can't keep my mouth shut about  _you know who_ , Finn. God." Kurt tried to stand, and he felt Finn reach out to steady him. "Mine  _or_  yours."

Finn pulled Kurt down into his lap, and the room stopped spinning. "It's okay, baby, really. Just... don't talk anymore, maybe?"

Kurt closed his eyes, relaxing against Finn's reassuring warmth. "Okay," he said, and listened to the more sedate people in the room talking about smoking pot, and other drugs, until Delia's voice was trilling again. She sounded a little shaky, but maybe it was that she was just as drunk as he was.

"I've never . . ." she trailed off, and Kurt thought that maybe she was looking around the circle before she spoke. She took a breath. "I've never been spanked," she pushed out in a rush, and Kurt put his hand out blindly for his cup.

"I think you're done," Finn said into his ear.

"But I  _have_  been spanked," he whined.

"I know. And if you keep talking like that, you'll get one tonight, too. I'll drink for both of us," Finn said, holding Kurt tightly.

Delia set her own cup down on the desk with an exasperated huff. "Who  _are_  you guys?"

Kurt stood on wobbly legs, one arm around Finn's waist. "We are the kinkiest boys in all of Ohio," he said, feeling braver than he ever had. He knew he was probably making a huge mistake, but it felt kind of freeing, to have something so important in his life out there for others to see.

Half of the kids could barely look at them after that, but the other half seemed to be grudgingly impressed, and they all called a mumbled  _goodnight_  as Finn and Mike half-carried, half-dragged Kurt back to their room.

**0M0**

"Kurt doesn't drink much, does he?" Mike helped Finn settle Kurt into his bed, and he waited while Finn pulled the covers up over Kurt. He'd given him a glass of water and two caplets already. Kurt made a mumbling noise, and accepted Finn's gentle kiss before wrinkling his brow and rolling over.

Finn shook his head. "Nah. None of us do, really. I guess Puck likes a beer every now and then. And Blaine... well, I guess at Dalton, there was a lot of alcohol, but..." He got a funny smile on his face. "He doesn't drink around us. Around  _me._ "

Finn seemed to hesitate. Mike thought about dropping it, but he'd had enough of that margarita to make him feel a little brave. He looked down at Kurt, already asleep, and grazed the edge of the blanket with his fingers. "What?"

Finn's smile grew. "I haven't told anybody about this. Not Kurt, not Puck, nobody. I wasn't going to... but if you can keep a secret?"

Mike nodded, and his breath caught as Finn touched his knee.

"Blaine's coming to McKinley next year," he whispered, his eyes shining. "He's coming back to Lima."

"Oh," Mike said, in an equally soft whisper. "I didn't know he was  _from_  Lima."

"It's a really long story," Finn said, hoarse, with a little tremble in his voice. "And it's  _his_  story, really, and nothing I should be talking about when I'm drunk anyway." He sighed heavily. "This was a really long year, and I'm so excited that he's coming home, I just-"

Mike cut him off suddenly, moved by the emotion in Finn's voice and his face, or a little too much to drink, or the sheer absurdity of the evening. Or all of it really. He leaned in fast, before he lost his nerve, and kissed Finn, soft and sloppy.

Finn exclaimed quietly into his mouth, his eyes wide, but he recovered quickly - for someone who'd had as much to drink as he had, he was remarkably steady - and met Mike with equal intensity. His hand came up and brushed through Mike's hair, fingers cupping the back of his head. Mike remembered the feeling of Finn's thumbs kneading his calves, and was caught by a rush of overwhelming sensation. He wasn't even sure where it began, but it definitely involved their lips, and tongues, and the press of Finn's hand, pulling him closer. Mike gasped, jerking back, his mind reeling with the images of Finn and Kurt and the mysterious  _flogger._

They stared at each other over Kurt's sleeping form, both of them breathing heavily. Finn licked his lips. "Is it - too much?"

Mike closed his eyes for a moment as he tried to figure out if the pounding in his head was the alcohol or the kissing, and he decided maybe it was a little of both. "Um," he licked at his lip, "maybe? But I  _like_ it."

Finn nodded, and he waited another few heartbeats before reaching out and grasping Mike's hand. "I do, too. Maybe... maybe a little too much." Mike felt a tremor as Finn's gaze traveled over his chest, down his stomach, to his legs. He wondered if Finn could tell just how embarrassingly turned on he was, and he squirmed a little at the thought. "You're - well, fuck, man, you're  _hot."_

Before Mike could even think how to respond to that, Finn was kissing him again, moving into his space, leaning in and pressing him awkwardly against the frame of Kurt's bed. Kurt made another gentle noise, rolling to the side. Mike thought he heard him say, "Wake me up when it gets good, Noah."

Mike felt a surge of anxiety. "Is - is this okay?" he said, looking down at Kurt's back, rising and falling gently in sleep. "He's not going to be - upset with me? Or you?"

Finn's touch on his rib cage was insistent, and very distracting. "We already talked about this," Finn assured him. "We're both fine with whatever you want. He knows how I - " Finn moved his lips to Mike's neck, but Mike could still see his blush. "How I feel about you."

"How  _do_  you, um... feel? About me?" Mike wouldn't have asked, normally, but  _god_ , he was feeling brave, and he  _wanted_ to know. To know if he was imagining things or not, or putting stock into nonexistent feelings.

"I guess I've always figured you were - well, I don't know. Out of reach. You and Tina, ever since you got together, it's been pretty clear you were really into each other." Mike shivered as he felt Finn's hot breath on his neck, laughing softly. "But I guess I have my share of people that I'm  _really into,_  too, and... that didn't stop me from thinking you were pretty awesome."

"Really? Because, god, Finn. You're so together, you know? Confident?"

Finn sighed and rested his forehead against Mike's temple, kissing his jaw. "You must not have noticed me last fall. I was a freaking mess. It got a lot better after Kurt came back from Dalton - well, maybe you saw some of that, when you and I were rehearsing our dance for Glee." He kissed him again, a little more firmly, and Mike felt the graze of teeth against his skin. "I Gotta Be Me. That was incredible. I can't believe I managed to get through that without breaking anybody else's bones."

Mike leaned into the pressure of Finn's mouth on his neck. How could  _teeth_  feel so freaking  _good_? "You're a better dancer than you give yourself credit for. It just takes you a little longer to learn, is all. Patience," he managed to get out before he moaned at the suction of Finn's mouth on his skin.

"That feel good?" Finn moved a little higher and did it again, harder this time.

"You're gonna leave a mark," he said, trying to bat at Finn, but Finn just shook his head.

"So what?" He adjusted his body against Mike's, leaning over him, and Mike moaned again at the feel of Finn, hard and hot against his thigh.

"People. Talking. Especially after tonight."

Finn pulled back far enough to meet Mike's gaze. His eyes were dark and thick-lashed, and Mike couldn't help but remember Tina's comment about blue eyes being more attractive.  _Brown,_  Mike thought, in a haze, and let himself be caught by Finn's stare.  _Brown eyes are completely perfect._

"I'm not going to do anything you don't want," Finn said quietly. "If you're worried about people talking, though, I don't think it matters what we do. They'll make up stories, anyway. What we do is nobody's business but ours."

Mike thought about his talk with Tina. "What happens here stays here?"

"Yeah." Finn moved forward again, slowly, and took Mike's bottom lip between his teeth, sucking hard enough to make him squeak. "If you want that, that's cool. It's your call, man."

God, Mike could hardly think, because  _teeth_  and  _tongue_  and . . .  _Finn_. "I think," he leaned into Finn's body and mouth, reveling in the feeling of being so close with Finn and not being scared, "that I might want that. But." He pulled away and shook his head. "We've had too much to drink tonight. Not good for decision-making."

Finn sighed, relaxing against Mike's side. "Yeah. You're totally right." He made a very conscious gesture, removing his hands from Mike, backing off. "And I'm sorry, if I made you uncomfortable or anything."

"No," Mike said, turning his feelings over and over before speaking again. "Not uncomfortable. I just want to make sure that when we do . . . do  _this,_ whatever  _this_ is, that we're all on the same page, you know?"

"Yeah. Yeah, of course." Finn looked so disappointed, sitting there with his head down, staring at his hands in his lap. Then he gave Mike a grin. "When, huh? Not if?"

Mike nodded slowly. "Yeah," he said, a slow grin spreading across his face and something like tentative joy in his chest. "Yeah," he said again. "When." And it didn't feel strange, or scary, or weird to admit what he wanted.  _Who_  he wanted. Maybe that was the alcohol too, but when he saw the way Finn was looking at him with gentleness, and at Kurt's sleeping form with tenderness, he didn't think it was the alcohol at all.

It was just  _him._

**0M0**

Mike slept long and hard, and he was surprised that he felt pretty good when he finally did get up. Kurt was still curled into a ball under his blankets, and Finn was sleeping atop his covers, still in his shorts and t-shirt. Mike grinned a little, remembering the feeling of Finn's mouth and hands, and he bounced a little on his way to the bathroom.

He grabbed a bagel from the dining hall and ate it while he walked over to the dance studios. He changed, and was already in the studio stretching when Toby wandered in, eyes glazed and hands wrapped around a cup of coffee.

"Late night?" he asked, daring to smirk, and Toby just grumbled.

"Hate mornings." He stuffed his own bag under the barre next to Mike's, and looked at him crooked. "Busy night?"

"Huh?" Mike leaned forward in his straddle and touched his nose to the floor.

"Your neck, darlin'. Busy night?"

Mike patted at the side of his neck, feeling for something, and even though the skin wasn't raised, he  _knew_. He could almost feel the pressure from Finn's mouth.

"Oh, crap. It left a mark." He kept his face down, so Toby couldn't see his blush.

"What happened? I remember my own summers here. Things got a little crazy, sometimes, once we all got into high school." Toby sunk to the floor and started his own stretching.

"I think the game is called 'I've Never'?" Mike drew his feet together into a butterfly stretch.

"Mmm." Toby nodded. "That'll get ya every time. What'd y'all drink?"

"Margaritas. But I didn't- I wasn't- um. I didn't drink... uh, as much as some people."

"Don't worry," Toby said with a wry smile. "I'm not going to report you. As long as y'all are stayin' safe and not trying to drive anywhere, I don't have a problem with a little experimental drinking. And I'm guessing Finn and Kurt lasted till the very end."

Mike giggled. "Kurt got  _really_  drunk. Finn and I had to practically carry him back to the room."

"Huh. Kurt hardly ever drinks." He looked at Mike intently. "And you're doin' okay, with some of the things I'm sure you heard?"

"Yeah," Mike said. "I mean, I  _think_  I am."

"Okay," Toby nodded. "Wanna tell me who gave you  _that_?" He tapped a finger against the mark on Mike's neck.

"No, thank you." Mike shook his head. "At least, not right now."

Toby looked up at motion in the doorway. Their students were crowded there, eager and way too awake. Toby rose to his feet, and Mike followed. "I'm here," Toby said in a low voice as the kids moved into the room and took positions at the barre. "If you want to talk about it."

"Thanks," Mike said, and took his place at the front of the barre to lead the class in pliés.

They were attentive, the beginners, but Mike had forgotten what it was like when everything was new and you couldn't just tell someone what position to take and see them step right into it. That day, Toby had decided they needed to work on arabesques.  _It'll kill all of center work,_  he'd said to Mike as he rubbed at his eyes.  _I can't handle jumping today_. Mike had just nodded, and headed into a corner with the youngest kids, a quartet of 8 year olds who were still a little chubby with baby fat.

One of the boys, a towhead with chunky glasses, scuffed the toe of his shoe on the floor. "Why do we have to learn ballet anyway? Boys don't do ballet."

Mike stuck a hand between the boy's shoulder blades and tried to nudge him into position. "First arabesque," he said, and pulled and tugged to arrange his arms and legs and head correctly. "And boys  _do_  do ballet.  _I_  do, and Toby does. And I play football, too."

"Really?" The boy let his leg fall to the floor.

"Yeah, really. And I think it makes me better at football. I'm faster, and I react quicker to what's happening on the field." Mike pulled a willowy African American girl up.

"Second arabesque." She'd clearly been paying attention, because she set her arms first before lifting her leg. Mike just had to tilt her chin a fraction of an inch. "Beautiful," he whispered in her ear. "You're a natural."

"Really, Mr. Mike?" Her eyes lit up and she grinned at him.

He grinned back. "Yes."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed. "Thank you. I  _love_  dancing so much!"

She was skinny, and Mike was almost afraid to hug her back because he didn't want to break her, but she pulled away and smiled again before frowning a little at him. "What happened to you?"

"What?"

She poked a finger at him. "Your neck. Did a spider bite you or something? Because my big brother got a spider bite once and it was  _naaaaasty_."

The boy with glasses jumped back a little in horror. "There are  _spiders_  here?"

"No, no," Mike put his hands up. "No spiders. It's nothing, sweetie. I'm fine."

"Oh." The girl nodded, her face serious. "Okay. That's good. Can we dance more, now?"

The rest of class passed without issue, and once the kids were gone Mike scooted out of the studio before Toby could say anything more. Mike would see him in the afternoon for a coaching session anyway. At least the girl he worked with in his partnering class didn't say anything about it.

It was later at lunch when things started to fall apart. Mike scanned the cafeteria, but he didn't see Kurt or Finn. He could still hear the words Finn had said last night, about everything being okay, and that nothing was going to happen he didn't want, but in retrospect, it was getting harder to believe them.

In line to pick up a sandwich, he heard the girl next to him whisper something about "One of those guys from room 305... really weird." She looked away when Mike glanced at her, and she didn't smile. He took a dish of green beans with a sense of unease.

After that, every laugh he heard sounded like an affront, and he found himself glaring at two guys who walked past, snickering. He covered the offending spot on his neck, feeling the burn on his cheeks. For a minute, he was  _angry_  at Finn for doing this to him, for making him a target. But then he felt ashamed of that feeling. Finn hadn't done anything he didn't want.  _Had he?_

And where  _were_  Finn and Kurt? Maybe they were back at the room. Maybe Finn was telling Kurt all about what had happened, and Kurt was furious. Kurt, mad at him - even the thought was more than he could handle. Or, worse, maybe Finn had realized how stupid the whole thing had been, how childish Mike's behavior had been. Maybe he and Kurt were laughing about it right now.

He settled into an empty seat at the end of one of the long tables that ran down the center of the room and ate his lunch in silence, hurried like he used to back in freshman year when he didn't know anybody but the other honors kids and the other guys on the JV squad.

All the eyes on him were making him crazy. He had to get out of there.

He dumped his tray, abandoning his sandwich half-eaten, and thought about taking a walk to clear his head, but his feet took him back to the dance studios.

 _Figures_ , he thought.  _I've been hanging around Toby too much. He's always telling me that the discipline of ballet will help me._

He was early for their session, but he changed and settled in at the barre anyway, working through pliés and tendus and degages. He was just starting rond de jambes when he heard the thunk of Toby's dance bag hitting the floor. He didn't turn to look, just kept his eyes focused on the bare wall in front of him.

"You're early," Toby said, and Mike felt him move into the space behind him. "And you're holding too much tension in your shoulders. Relax." He touched Mike's shoulder, and ran a fingertip down the length of his arm to his fingers. "Wiggle your fingers. They're tense too."

Mike tried, and when he turned to work on his left side he thought he was doing better. But Toby stopped him halfway through. "C'mere," he said, pulling Mike to sit on the floor. "What's goin' on?"

"Nothing," Mike mumbled, his eyes on his feet.

"I missed you in the dining hall."

"Wasn't hungry," Mike said, and felt bad for being so short with Toby. But he needed to be anywhere but in his head, in his _life r_ ight then, and the only way he knew how to get that feeling was by dancing.

Toby shrugged at him. "You don't eat, you don't dance. Did you know, at the Royal Ballet School, that's the rule? The kids have to eat a certain amount at every meal or they don't get to dance."

Mike shrugged. "No. But I'm not a kid. I can take care of myself."

"Hey," Toby said, nudging Mike with his shoulder. "You're not acting like yourself. Can't I be concerned? I'd like to think we're friends."

Mike shook his head. He felt miserable. "I don't know what to say."

"How about the truth. You're not okay, are you?" Toby's eyes were full of concern.

Mike sighed, and crossed his arms over his knees. "Not really?"

"Does it have anything to do with  _that_?" Toby nodded at the hickey, which Mike had finally seen in the mirror in the locker room, dark purple under his skin.

Anything? "Try  _everything_ ," Mike groaned. "God. I'm so stupid. I don't know what I'm thinking."

Toby nodded at him. "It happens like that, sometimes. Which one?"

"Which one what?" Mike wasn't sure what Toby was asking him.

He raised one eyebrow. "Finn or Kurt?"

Mike buried his head in his arms. "How do you  _know_? Do I have a  _sign_  on me or something? Everyone in the dining hall was talking about us like we're freaks or something, and neither one of them showed up to lunch, and I'm so stupid for thinking that there's anything okay about any of this."

Toby put a gentle hand on Mike's arm. "Hey. Slow down. Deep breath. Just, talk to me, okay? When did this start?"

Mike turned his head to the side, looking up at Toby, barely able to meet his gaze. "In May. I kissed Finn, in the bathroom at school, the day Kurt and I got our letters."

"But?" Toby nodded at him to go on.

"But what?"

"Sugar, this didn't start in the spring. It never goes like that. When did it really start?"

Mike thought back, to the night over a year ago when Puck had come home. When Tina had sat with him in Mercedes' living room as they watched Finn, Kurt, and Puck together in the falling snow. "Christmas, sophomore year. I wasn't supposed to see, nobody was, but they were just there, together, and it was- it was  _beautiful_. I couldn't stop... watching."

Toby seemed to know exactly what he meant. He nodded soberly. "Finn, Kurt, and Puck?"

Mike nodded back. "They're... they're kind of amazing, you know? Finn . . . he's so confident, and I wish I could be that way. And Kurt, god. He just keeps fighting, you know? I mean, he could have given up so many times, but he just gets up and keeps going, and he's so strong. I can't even stand up to my father. I can't imagine having to deal with what Kurt does every single day."

Toby took a deep breath and let it out, gazing at the wall. He seemed to make a decision. "It ain't easy, bein' in the world when you've got... a sign on you, you said? Like Kurt. Ain't nobody going to miss the gay in that boy." He nodded at Mike. "Or in me."

Mike swallowed. "How do you get through? I don't . . . I've never . . . I mean, yeah, sometimes I take shit for being in Glee, for being Asian, for dancing. But if-" he couldn't quite make himself say the words he'd been turning over for the last week,  _if I'm not straight_. He just fell silent. He wasn't ready to go there yet.

Toby gave him a half-smile. "You know, you might want to talk to Will. Mr. Schue to you. He's gone through some of this in the past, too. You might be able to relate to his perspective. When we were... together, for years and years, he struggled all the time to define himself, to figure out a label that fit for him. It wasn't until last summer that he first said the words  _I'm gay_  to me. And even that wasn't quite right, was it?"

Mike thought about the rumblings around school, the gossip he tried to stay away from, that Miss P had gotten a divorce from the dentist, and that she and Mr. Schue were together now. "I guess not. Is it... is it okay  _not_  to know?"

Toby laughed gently. "Of course. That's the Q in LGBTQ, after all. Questioning. And you can do it for however long it takes you to figure it out. And whatever you decide, that's okay."

"Tina," Mike said, fiddling with the elastic on his shoe. "She said it was okay, for me to try to figure things out. And she said she didn't mind, if I did it with our friends. She knows everything, that it's... that there's... both of them."

"That's . . . amazing, really," Toby said, and when Mike looked at him his face was light and open. "You kids. You're all so strong, and you know what you want, and you just go out there and get it."

Mike felt the frustration well up inside him, and flow out in a rush of angry words. "I  _don't_  know what I want, though. That's the problem."

"But you're not afraid to try, to figure it out, even if it's hard and scary and different." Toby leaned close, his shoulder against Mike's. "I wish I could do that. Just decide what and who I want and go for it." His eyes closed. Mike could see the pain on his face, just below the surface.

"You and Mr. Schue," Mike said, watching Toby's body language shift, and immediately he was sorry he'd said anything. "Uh..."

"Hey, it's the way it is." Toby made a useless gesture, his mouth tight. "It's always been that way, with me and Will. B-W was our place, did you know that? Where we met, in fourth grade. He was my best friend, at a time when there weren't too many good things in my life."

"You miss him," Mike said, because the expression on Toby's face was clearly one of longing.

"Like breathin'," Toby agreed. "But he made his choice. Again. And I've got to live with that. I made plenty of my own mistakes, too." He paused, then added, sounding somewhat forced, "Not that he's makin' a mistake. Emma's a nice girl."

"You just don't think he's making the right choice." Mike wondered what it felt like, to love someone so long and so much, and have them choose somebody else.

Toby sighed. "It's complicated. It's not that I think he's makin' the wrong choice. I just don't think he trusts himself to make the right choice, because he still always wants to please everybody else."

"What about you?" Mike had never really talked with an adult like this before, and he felt kind of honored that Toby was sharing with him.

"I gave up on pleasin' others a long time ago. I was never enough, never the right kind of boy for the people in my town, or for my family, even when I was small." Toby paused, then added, "My daddy, he let me leave home when I was fourteen, and it was the best thing he could have done. Livin' on my own, doin' what I had to to get by: that was how it was for me, after that. But things are a lot easier than they used to be." He smiled. "I'm just me, now."

"Whoa." Mike couldn't even begin to imagine what that had been like for Toby. "That . . I don't even know what to say."

"You don't have to," Toby said. "It's a part of me. It doesn't hurt, now. It just  _is_ , just like me bein' a teacher or a dancer, or queer. It's like anything in your life, Mike. It shapes you, but it doesn't define all of you. You can be whoever you want, whoever you  _are_ , and you'll be okay." Toby wrapped his arms around Mike and gave him a squeeze. "You have people who love you and want to help, okay?"

His voice puffed into Mike's hair and tickled at his neck, and Mike laughed at the sensation. Toby wasn't like a teacher, and he wasn't like a friend, and he wasn't like a father. He was - what he said.  _I'm just me, now._

"Okay," he nodded, looking into Toby's eyes. "Thank you."

Toby smiled. "You're always welcome. You should go get something to eat, and go talk to those boys of yours. It'll be okay."

**0M0**

There weren't too many people left in the dining hall when Mike got there, just some kids he didn't know with photocopied scripts in front of them sharing two plates of french fries, and a trio of girls from his partnering class picking at salads. He slid into line behind a boy from his tap class, and tried to ignore the girls staring an uncomfortable hole into his back. He was just reaching for a tray when one of them said in a loud enough voice for him to hear her whisper to her friends.

"He's Mr. Grey's pet. It's only his first year, and he gets to TA, and I hear he hasn't ever taken real lessons."

He didn't need to look to know the others were agreeing with her.

"It's not fair," another said, just as loud. "He should have to put in his time, just like the rest of us."

Mike tried to turn his ears off, to stop hearing, but he couldn't. He was on edge as he took a plate with sliced turkey, potatoes, and gravy. He added an apple and a carton of milk to his tray, and moved to an empty table as far away from the ballet princesses as he could get.

He was halfway through his turkey when a larger crowd of kids entered the room and stopped in their tracks. "Hey, you room with those guys, right? The ones from the party in Joanie and Delia's room?"

Mike looked up, fork halfway to his mouth. "Yeah."

"Were you a fag before you got here, or did they turn you?" The one at the front of the group sneered at him, hate boiling in his eyes. Mike felt his stomach flip over, and he grabbed his tray and made a beeline for the dish window, but the boy wasn't done yet.

"Oh, look, we upset the baby gay," he said, and the others laughed.

Mike clenched his jaw against the echoing of the words through the nearly empty dining hall.  _Everyone is staring_ , he thought.  _Everyone knows now_.

He couldn't get out of there fast enough.

**0M0**

Mike barely held onto his calm as he made the long, arduous trip from the lobby up to the third floor. He ignored the friendly looks from the other boys and girls on his floor and just rushed down the hall, around the corner and fumbled with his key to get through the door, just to get through, to be safe where nobody could see him.

And then he was on the other side, and Finn was staring at him, and Kurt reached out and took him in his arms before he could say one word.

"Sweetheart," he murmured, and Mike burst into tears.

"I can't," he cried, pushing at Kurt's arms, "I  _can't do this."_

But Kurt was strong, and he wasn't letting go, not for anything. He pulled Mike closer and held him tight. Mike felt the warm, solid presence of Finn behind him, holding him from the other side. He didn't think he'd ever felt so safe and so freaked out at the same time.

"What can't you do?" Kurt said, his voice low and soothing. "Because right now, you don't have to do anything. Just let us take care of you."

"I can't  _do_  that," he protested, but even as he said it, he could feel himself relaxing into their embrace, into Kurt's words, and the feeling of the both of them holding on, so he could let go. He thought he'd never had that experience before.

But then he thought of Tina, the way she made everything okay, even the feelings he was so scared to say out loud.  _She does this for me,_  he realized, and suddenly he could breathe a little more easily. He let Kurt kiss his cheek, let Finn squeeze his shoulders.

"You can," Kurt said, and the certain way he spoke made Mike feel like maybe he really could, if only Kurt would keep talking to him that way. He touched Mike's face, cupped his hand under his chin. "What happened?"

"You -" Mike shook his head, ducking away from Kurt's eyes. "What makes you think anything -"

"Hey," Finn interrupted, leaning in to rub his own broad, scratchy cheek against his. "Mike. It's okay. Whatever it is, it's okay. Just tell us."

Mike took a long, shuddery breath, trying to calm the tears that continued to well up. "I went looking for you," he said, and he could hear just how awful he sounded, how ridiculous, but he pressed on. "After last night, I needed - and then today I couldn't  _find you_ , and the kids in the dining hall, they were talking about us, about my neck, and..."

He cut off with a strangled curse, but Kurt took his shoulders and held them tightly, meeting his gaze. "I know this has got to be so scary, but it's all right. You're doing so well. You can get through this."

"I'm not like you, Kurt," said Mike, looking away. "I can't do  _this._  I can't be - I can't be  _this,_  for everybody to see. It's too much."

"You think everybody can see?" Finn sounded unhappy, and Mike closed his eyes against the sensation. The last thing he wanted was to disappoint someone else, especially  _Finn._

"It seemed like it today," he admitted. "I went into class and it was - like it was printed in big letters right on my shirt."

"What was it, MIke?" Kurt asked. He was so calm, so quiet, that Mike was able to take a moment and breathe. "What was it they could see?"

"All of it," he whispered. "What we did. What I want. Who... who I am. All of it."

Kurt gave him a slow nod. "You think they can see all of that? What's changed?"

"Nothing. Everything." Mike wanted to ask Finn to let go, to move away, but at the same time he was  _so grateful_  for the strength of him, holding him, and he rested back against his body. Finn tugged him around until they were facing each other, and then wrapped him up in the biggest, tightest hug he'd ever had. He felt the breath forced out of his lungs with the pressure of Finn's body, compressing him down, until all he could do was let himself dangle there.

"God, Finn," he gasped, "that feels... so good."

"Yeah," Finn said, tenderly. "Does. You, too. Thanks for letting me do it."

Mike had to laugh, though he could barely make any noise at all. "Letting you. That's my problem, isn't it? All I want to  _do_ is let you." It was a bold admission, but in Finn's arms, in the quiet of their room, it wasn't so frightening. He felt Finn let his body go, and he staggered a little, falling back against Kurt, still waiting there. The shame flooded back at his touch - and the desire. "Both of you."

Kurt wrapped his arms around Mike from behind. "You're sure, sweetheart?"

Mike shivered at the endearment. "Y-yes," he let out, and even though he was scared he felt a little lighter at the admission.

Finn moved in, putting his arms around them both, Kurt on the outside, Mike in Kurt's embrace. It was like it had been yesterday, the fear held at bay by the presence of these two boys, patiently waiting for him to be ready, encouraging him to just  _let it go,_  to be himself. He shook his head in wonder.

"You don't want me to be anything other than what I am," he said. "That's freaking amazing."

Finn's smile was broad and pleased. "Puck taught me that," he said. "And a few other people, too. Including this one." He leaned over and kissed Kurt, not just a quick touch of lips, but deep and full, their bodies yearning toward one another. Mike could feel the immediate tension in Kurt's body at the contact from Finn, the two of them feeding off one another, driving each other to greater intensity - and the energy passing through them, through  _him,_  was almost more than he could handle. He whimpered.

"I love you," Kurt said, smiling up at Finn. The declaration was so calm, so ordinary, and so  _beautiful,_  that Mike smiled, too. Finn touched his cheek with one hand. Then he turned to Mike.

"Sorry I wasn't around today," Finn said, looking truly sorrowful. "All the girls in my drama class, they needed a scene partner, and we just don't have enough guys, you know? I had to stick around to fill in over lunch, and by the time I got there, I guess you were gone? I went looking for Toby, but he said you'd gone to partnering class."

"It's okay," said Mike automatically, and even though it really hadn't been at the time, he wasn't upset now. "I just thought you were... that you were mad at me. That I'd done something wrong."

Kurt tightened his arms around Mike. "Don't."

"Don't what?" Mike wasn't following.

"Don't say things are okay when they're not. Part of what we do, Finn and I and the others, is honesty all the time. No hiding. If we're going to do this, we need you to be that way with us. Do you understand?"

Mike nodded, feeling like he wasn't sure how to respond to Kurt when he got like this. It was a little scary.

Kurt kissed his neck. "Good. And you didn't do anything wrong. You hear me? You're just fine, sweetheart." Kurt's fingers were in Mike's hair, and Mike wasn't sure, but he thought he heard Kurt whisper  _such a good boy_. The echo of it made him shiver, but he didn't know why.

"I'm really sorry about all those assholes in the cafeteria," Finn said. "I'm totally going to go all pissed off on them tomorrow. But this, what we're doing here... this is up to you. We don't have to do anything at all."

Mike heard his words, heard Finn giving him the freedom to choose - and also felt Finn's erection pressing into his hip, not requiring anything of him, but clearly communicating exactly what Finn wanted from him. He took a deep breath, and pushed back, making Finn gasp, and Kurt let out a quiet sound, like  _ohhh._

"I want to," Mike said. "I want to do - anything. I mean... I don't know what I mean."

"It's okay," Kurt said, soft and soothing. "We're in no hurry. We'll go as slow as you want."

"Kissing," Mike sighed into the gentle pressure of Kurt's mouth on his jaw. "I like the kissing. Kissing is good."

"You're right," Finn said, capturing Mike's mouth in a firm kiss before pulling slightly away and running a finger at the hem of Mike's t-shirt. "Kissing  _is_  good. But what about  _this?_ " His hand was warm and flat against Mike's stomach, and Mike wanted to lean into the touch, but nothing about this was familiar, and he didn't know what was okay.

"Take your shirt off," Kurt urged. He ran a hand along Finn's chest. "You, too."

Finn's smile was amused. "Yes,  _sir,"_  he said, and Kurt smiled back, his cheeks flushing. He waited until Finn had shed his t-shirt, then unbuttoned his own. Mike wasn't sure he'd ever seen Kurt without his shirt on, not even at Santana's pool party, where Kurt had reclined on the deck in shorts, shirt and sunglasses, looking perfect and remote. That wasn't how he was behaving now, though. It was like Kurt was trying to take  _care_  of him.

"What's that about, anyway?" Mike shook his head in confusion. "I don't understand."

"Shhh," Kurt whispered into his ear. "Not now, sweetheart. You don't need to worry about that." His hands slid up and down Mike's back, and the touch of his skin felt so good, and Mike let the trail of his question slip away because he couldn't think with Kurt behind him and Finn in front of him, both of them so forward with roaming hands and the heat and wetness of their mouths on him.

"God," Finn muttered, one hand resting on his thigh, rubbing it idly. "The two of you together. Talk about eye candy."

Mike was embarrassed into speechlessness, but Kurt smiled back, teasing, his head resting on Mike's. "Yeah, I know you like to watch. And I love it when you do."

Finn smiled hesitantly at Mike. "Yeah, I do, but Mike, I don't want you to feel weird about that. I mean... I love watching you on stage, I guess you know that... but this isn't like that. You're not performing, here."

"No," Kurt agreed, kissing Mike's neck. "I agree; it's not about that. Nobody has to pretend. But that doesn't mean you can't like what you see." He turned Mike's head gently to face his, and kissed him, gently at first, then more thoroughly. Mike trembled as he heard Finn's groan of approval. "And I think Mike likes being watched too. Don't you, sweetheart?" His lips brushed Mike's ear, and he tried not to flinch away from Kurt's hand on his behind.

"I- I  _guess_  so," Mike said, and a little shiver coursed through him at the idea of  _being watched_. "I never thought about it before."

But he was thinking about it now. Finn was doing that thing again, where he was looking at him all over, in a way that guys definitely weren't allowed to do in the locker room or during a game or even in Glee. He wasn't shying away from staring at certain parts of him, either, which made Mike feel both self-conscious and ridiculously turned on. He wasn't sure what to do with it - but Kurt continued kissing along his neck and stroking his bare chest, and eventually he was tingling so much that he stopped caring.

"You're beautiful," Kurt told him, and Mike chuckled nervously.

"I think that's you, Kurt," he said. "Both you guys... I think you've got beautiful covered."

"No," Finn said, his voice low. "You're definitely beautiful, Mike." Kurt let out a low moan, and Mike felt Kurt's hands slow, and then Kurt was -  _oh_  -  _pinching_  his nipples, and he'd never understood why Tina liked it when he did that, but  _god_. His knees buckled slightly, and Kurt laughed quietly in his ear, easing them down onto the bed, with Mike essentially sitting in his lap and Kurt's legs around him. Kurt's fingers brushed his nipples again.

"You like that, sweetheart?"

"Y-yeah," Mike sighed. "It's good."

Finn was looking positively hungry, and he leaned in, kneeling on the bed in front of Mike and Kurt, kissing him and making noises of wanting. Mike felt the tension escalate, until Kurt's hands skated down his stomach and against the hem of his shorts. He sat up in a hurry, scrambling out of Kurt's lap.

"I - wait," he said, trying not to panic. Immediately Kurt's hands were back on his shoulders, pressing hard, and he felt the anxiety subside.

"You can stop any time," Kurt said steadily. "We're not going to do anything you don't want."

Mike shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "That's my problem," he said to Finn, who was still kneeling there before him, looking concerned. "I want - a lot of things. And I just don't know how to handle that."

"Talk to us," Kurt said. Finn moved beside Kurt on the bed, looping his arms loosely around his waist, watching Mike. "Honesty, remember?"

Mike leaned back on his hands. "I just- I don't know what it's like... guys together. I mean," he felt a blush creep hot up his neck, "I've heard, but I don't know."

"Are you scared?" Kurt looked at him with concern.

"Not really? I mean, I guess I'm a little scared, because it's new. It's all new, really. Tina and I, we've only . . . done it just a few times. And this is kind of like that, but nothing like that at all." Mike closed his eyes and let his head fall back against Kurt's chest. He didn't feel like he was making any sense at all.

"And I bet some of the things you've heard guys do - it might not sound so good. Like, maybe you wouldn't want to do some of it." Finn raised his eyebrows. "I've been there, man. It took me a little while, and a bunch of times saying  _no, not yet,_  before I tried a lot of stuff. Sometimes you're just not ready yet, and that's cool."

Kurt gazed at Mike thoughtfully. "We can stop, if you want. But I get the idea you don't want to."

Mike thought for a minute before speaking again. "I don't want to stop, but I don't know if I'm ready to actually  _do_  anything."

He watched Finn and Kurt exchange a look, and then Kurt was holding his hands. "Would you . . . would you like to watch? Me and Finn?"

"Uh," Finn said, and Mike was fascinated to see Finn turn a particularly vibrant shade of purple. "Kurt... shouldn't we talk about -"

"No." Kurt patted Finn on the knee. "You'll be fine. This is Mike's call, not yours."

"Um." Mike's mind was positively reeling and he knew he had to focus, had to make some kind of a decision.

Kurt seemed to take his silence as assent, and he smiled. His hand ran up the length of Finn's thigh, into the crease between them, and Mike forced himself not to look away. It was clear the stories he'd heard Rachel tell Tina about Finn were at least somewhat true, at least the part about how  _big_  he was.

Finn shuddered, and his hips twisted. "Kurt," he said again, but he wasn't protesting this time.

"Relax," Kurt soothed. He lifted himself up to kneel over Finn's thighs, stroking down his bare chest with both hands. Mike watched him do that nipple thing, and Finn seemed to like it just as much as he had. "Nothing's wrong here. Just show him how much you love this. And touch me."

Mike felt himself leaning in a little closer as Kurt ground his hips against Finn's. One of Finn's hands reached out to brush against Mike's fingers. Mike took it, letting Finn squeeze them hard, then intertwine their fingers and rest their hands against the bed. Finn's other hand went to Kurt's stomach, his palm pressing flat and hard against the bulge in his shorts. Kurt sighed in appreciation. Mike kept his empty hand safely in a fist on his chest, but he watched with round eyes as Finn managed to unbutton Kurt's shorts with one hand. He noted, as impartially as he could, that Kurt wasn't doing too bad in the size department, himself.

"Kiss me," Kurt demanded, pulling Finn's face up to meet his. Finn didn't let go of Mike's hand. Mike could feel the tension in Finn's muscles, his tendons straining against his body's desire. Kurt left Finn's mouth to work his way down his chest, using his tongue to tease him every step of the way. By the time he reached Finn's navel, Finn was gasping and thrusting up.

"Kurt," Finn said, gazing down at him and stroking a hand through his hair. "You don't have to -"

"Yes, I do," Kurt insisted. "Now hush. This is my show, and I'm in charge." He unbuttoned Finn's shorts and tugged the zipper down, working them off his legs with brisk efficiency. His boxers went equally quickly.

Now Mike couldn't look away. Kurt's pale, slim hands pressed on the inside of Finn's thighs, nudging him open, and Finn squeezed Mike's hand again as Kurt's wrapped around his erect cock.

"God," Finn said, and instead of closing his eyes, he gazed right at Mike, his desire evident on his face. "You, watching this... it's..."

"I - I can go," Mike murmured, but he didn't mean it. He didn't think he could move at all.

"No," Finn shook his head, and laughed. His hand rested gently on Kurt's head, but Kurt was clearly setting his own pace. "It's the hottest thing ever, man."

"You sure?" Mike could barely even get in a full breath, but he managed to ask anyway.

"We're sure," Kurt said, firm and full of desire. He nodded at Mike from his position between Finn's legs. "Are you?"

"Y-yes," Mike answered, and his heart was pounding. He watched with wide eyes as Kurt focused his attention on Finn's cock, teasing the tip with his tongue.

"C'mere," Finn said softly, tugging their entwined hands close to his chest. Mike moved in, tucking against Finn's body, and obliged with a kiss. With every move Kurt made with his mouth, Finn grew more tense, his breathing more erratic, but he didn't stop kissing Mike. He moaned, bucking his hips into Kurt's mouth, and Mike heard Kurt chuckle.

"God," Finn muttered, thrusting again. Kurt took it, not missing a beat, and Mike heard himself let out a squeak as his hands splayed Finn's thighs open wider, brushing fingers against the obviously sensitive flesh below. "God, Kurt, that feels so fucking  _good_."

Finn did seem to be having a great time, and Mike gripped his hand tighter as he felt his own arousal press uncomfortably against the zipper of his shorts. He matched Finn's accelerated breathing, and when Finn lifted off the bed, calling Kurt's name, he nearly lost it without one touch. But he managed to watch the whole thing happen -  _god, I just saw a guy get a blowjob -_ and still maintain some control.

Kurt clearly knew what he was doing, because there wasn't any choking or mess or anything, and the times that he'd tried that with Tina, it had been only mildly successful. Mike tried not to feel envious, watching Kurt wipe his mouth with a smug smile.

"Was that good?" he asked, his voice husky with desire. Mike could see Kurt was waiting on his own satisfaction from the bulge in his half-unzipped shorts, but Kurt wasn't making any motion to touch himself, other than to adjust. Maybe he was going to ask Finn to reciprocate. The idea was even hotter than the activities Mike had just witnessed, and he gasped as the hand he was holding with Finn went to touch his leg.

"Incredible," Finn agreed, but he was still looking at Mike. "You're doing all right?"

"Uh-huh," Mike said, and swallowed hard. He was aching, but he didn't want to be in the way and he wasn't sure if he should touch himself or not.

Then he felt Kurt's hand on his calf, and he made another noise, one that sounded suspiciously like  _Yes._  Kurt smiled broadly at him. Then he moved very deliberately to kneel before Mike on the edge of the bed.

"You enjoyed that," he said, and Mike nodded, mute. Kurt nodded back, moving his hand up Mike's leg to rest at his knee with great intention. "But you're not done yet, obviously. Perhaps you'd like the same?"

"Please," Mike said, before he could even think about whether he really wanted that or not. Finn sighed in contentment at Mike's response, and he put his hand on Mike's thigh to bend it, lifting it so that his knee rested on Finn's bare leg.

"Have you ever done this, sweetheart?" Kurt let his fingers hover at the button on Mike's shorts, and Mike kept himself from thrusting forward, because he was pretty sure it wasn't going to take much, and he didn't want to finish before things even got started.

"Tina and I, um." He bit his bottom lip as Kurt's fingers crooked inside his waistband, working the button and zipper with practiced ease. "We tried, but we weren't very good at it."

"Mm," Kurt affirmed with a little hum. "Yes. It does take practice." He smiled up at Finn. "Luckily, I've had plenty." His hands were on Mike's waist, tugging at his shorts and underwear. Mike felt a little embarrassed by the way his erection tented out his boxers, but there wasn't anything but anticipation on Kurt's face.

"Now I get to watch," Finn sighed, resting his hand on Mike's tense abdomen. He didn't move his hand any lower, but the touch made Mike's cock twitch anyway. Finn smiled at the sight, and he leaned in to give him a kiss. "Would it totally freak you out to hear I had a dream about this last night?"

"About - Kurt, doing  _this?"_  Mike was startled, and Kurt took advantage of his distraction to lick a long, wet path from the base of his cock to the tip. Mike thrust forward at the stimulation, crying out, and Finn echoed his sound with approval.

Kurt settled an oddly calming hand on Mike's hip. "Don't fight it, sweetheart. It's okay to want it, okay to go after what you want."

Finn kissed him again. "Okay to lie back and let Kurt do this, too."

Mike felt the heat of shame creeping up on him, and he resisted it, listening to Kurt's voice, feeling the touch of Finn's lips on his. He tried to slow his breathing and relax. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Absolutely," Kurt assured him. "You're doing just fine. I'll handle everything."

Kurt's confidence and steady manner reassured Mike, and he felt Finn shift into the space behind him, holding him close.

"I've got you, man. It's okay. You trust us?" Finn's arms were strong, and Mike felt safe in his arms even as he was so terribly aroused he could hardly think.

"Yeah. Trust you." Mike let his head settle against Finn's shoulder. He wanted to close his eyes, just to enjoy the sensations, but he didn't want to miss the sight of Kurt taking him in his mouth.  _Are we ever going to do this again?_  he wanted to ask, but was afraid of the answer - whether it was yes or no.

"Good," Finn said, tightening his arms and kissing the sensitive skin under his ear. "That's good."

Kurt's lips and tongue were inspiring amazing sensations. With every stroke, Mike felt him edging closer to coming. He didn't know if Kurt intended for him to come in his mouth. He'd let Finn do that, but Finn was his boyfriend, and Mike was just a guy in Glee, and was that something Kurt would want from him? He managed to choke out, "Cl-close."

"It's okay," Finn said into his ear. "You can come. Kurt likes it, trust me."

Mike wondered what it felt like, to be with someone for so long that they just  _knew_  what you liked. Maybe someday things would be like that with Tina.

Kurt slowed his strokes down, but he changed the angle, too, giving Mike pressure on the base of his cock, somehow both making him relax more and driving him closer than ever to the edge. "God," he gasped, his hands clenching. Finn took them and placed them on Kurt's head.

"Hold him," Finn encouraged. "Move him where you want him. He doesn't have to be in charge all the time."

Kurt's answering growl was surprisingly hot, and Mike felt himself letting go of the last of his control. True to Finn's word, Kurt wasn't pulling away or slowing down; if anything, he was taking Mike deeper, letting him pull his head flush with his body, taking it all without apparent discomfort. "That's it," Finn said again, smiling as Mike threw his head back, arching into Kurt's waiting mouth. "Yeah - that's  _so_  hot, Mike."

He could feel Kurt, holding tight to his hips and sucking hard on his cock, and Mike let go with a shudder and a shout.

"Oh,  _god_ ," he groaned. The pressure from Kurt's mouth was almost too much as he worked to swallow every drop. He put out his hands to hold him back. "That's - okay, okay, no more!"

"Just wait until he tries to get you to come a second time," Finn whispered, as Kurt let him slip out between his lips. "Don't worry. Next time."

 _Next time,_  said Mike's imagination, already racing ahead to all the  _other_  amazing things they might do for the rest of the summer, there in the safety of their room, at night, after meals, between classes... he whimpered.

"You okay?" Kurt rested his head against the inside of Mike's leg.

"Next time," he whispered, panting. "You want to- um. Do this again?"

"Oh,  _yes_ ," Kurt sighed. His breath was hot on Mike's skin, and he felt his cock twitch weakly.  _I guess I_ _ **am**_ _seventeen_ , he thought, but he knew there was no way he'd be able to go again tonight.

"Yeah," Finn said from behind him, nudging against him with his hips. "Definitely. You want to do this again?"

Mike didn't think he could keep his mind from betraying what that hip nudge was making him think of, but he tried to keep his attention on the conversation. "Yeah," he said. "This was incredible. But..."

Kurt glanced at Finn in concern. "But what?"

"What about you?" he said. "You're still... I mean, you haven't..." He made a futile and vaguely obscene gesture. "Have you?"

Kurt looked up at him through obscenely long eyelashes. He climbed up to sit on the edge of the bed between Mike's legs, placing one hand on his thigh. "No, I haven't. So perceptive, sweetheart." Yes, Kurt was definitely still hard. And Mike thought he heard it  _again_ , the words he still didn't understand,  _such a good boy_. "Do you have any ideas about that?"

"I think- can I-?" Mike's mind was very clear on the topic; his hand was almost itching to feel Kurt, to wrap around him and work him until he was spilling over Mike's hand, but he couldn't get the words out.

"Anything you want, sweetheart." Kurt was being so calm, so gentle, and Mike knew he had to be incredibly uncomfortable.

"Can- um. Can I  _touch_  you?"

" _Please_ ," Kurt all but groaned, and he looked at Finn. "Can you- help Mike?"

"Yeah," Finn said, and he spoke into Mike's ear again. "Take his shorts off," Finn growled, and Mike moved quickly to do exactly that. "Good. Don't be scared. It's not that different from . . . your own."

"Different enough," Mike protested, but he couldn't take his eyes off Kurt's erection. Finn was right, it wasn't so different, but the angle wasn't what he was used to, and he didn't know where to touch, or how hard to stroke, and he just sat there, staring.

"Here," Finn said, taking Mike's hand in his own. "Let me help."

He guided Mike's hand over Kurt's cock, but as soon as Mike  _felt_  Kurt, heavy and full against his palm and fingers, he knew exactly what to do. He ran his thumb over the head, doing his best to get enough wetness so that he didn't hurt Kurt. He hesitated a moment, because his hand felt too dry, but Finn was right there.

"It's okay, he's really close. Don't worry." Kurt's eyes were almost closed, and he let out an anticipatory noise that made Finn's breath catch. Mike watched the way Finn looked at Kurt, the way he noticed every little motion, the shift of his hips, the rhythm of his breathing. It made his heart ache a little, because it was so much what he wanted - to love, and be loved like that. To be  _known._

"Feels good," Kurt sighed. This Kurt was so different from the one who'd been in charge of everything just a few minutes ago. He was giving in, letting the pleasure of the moment carry him, just as Finn had done. Just as he'd done, himself. And there was that  _oh god I let a guy give me a blowjob_  panic again.

But Mike took a deep breath and let it out. It wasn't just any guy. It was  _Kurt._ And  _Finn._  And no matter what he'd told himself about not knowing them very well, he'd spent the last two years in Glee with them, had gone through relationship traumas and friendship trials and sectionals and regionals and even nationals in New York. They weren't like Tina, but they were his friends. He wanted this, and it was okay, because they made it okay.

Mike moved his hand with renewed focus, his heart beating in time with the words in his head:  _it's okay, it's okay, it's okay_. He could feel each stroke as though he were touching himself, the way the pace changed, the slick-smooth surface of his skin. Kurt was thrusting up into his grip, his breath coming rapidly, and Finn was talking at him again, encouraging him.

"That's it," Finn was saying. "Just right. A little faster, let him fuck your hand, it's what he needs. Feel that? You're giving him exactly what he needs. So good, Mike. You're so good."

Mike gasped as the words hit him. He felt it in his gut, not like a punch, but like the blossoming of a flower, just as Kurt cried out, "Yes, god," and thrust into his hand, coming hard. By the time he was done, Mike could feel the tears on his cheeks, and he folded himself into Finn's waiting arms.

"Okay," Finn said, pressing a kiss into Mike's hair. "It's okay. You did so well, man. You're okay. We're all okay."

**0M0**

By the time Mike was out of the shower, Kurt had a half a sandwich and an apple waiting for him. "Where'd you get this?" he asked, toweling off his hair. He felt a little shy, but Finn's smile and Kurt's gentle hand reassured him.

"It doesn't hurt to be friends with both Toby and Darius," Kurt said, grinning. "Come on, eat. You've got to be starving."

Mike was, and he ate every bite before crawling back onto Kurt's bed to sit next to Finn. Finn put a casual arm around his shoulder.

"Not freaking out?" he asked quietly.

Mike blushed, looking at his lap. "Uh, no," he said. "Not freaking out. Maybe tomorrow, but right now... I'm good."  _I'm good,_  he thought, remembering Finn's words, and smiled to himself.

"That's okay," Kurt said, sitting on the edge of the bed. He took Mike's hand, holding it in his palm. "No matter what, we'll still be here tomorrow. Even if you decide you don't want to do that again, ever." He smiled. "I don't do casual sex."

Mike wasn't exactly sure what Kurt meant by that, but he tried nodding. "Uh, I don't really, either? Well - other than Tina, I haven't really done anything with anybody. But I don't think I would like that. Casual." He glanced at Finn, who nodded.

"I don't think this was casual," Finn said. He stroked a hand down Mike's head, squeezing his neck. "We're friends, yeah, but..." He shrugged. "It's more than just sex. It's about figuring out what you need."

Kurt put a hand on top of Finn's. "And what  _you_  need, love," he added softly. Finn blushed, looking away.

"Okay, yeah," Finn muttered. "Whatever."

"How do you know?" Mike wondered aloud. "I mean, you guys always seem so sure of what you need. How do you know?"

Kurt laughed, and ran a hand down Mike's arm. "Practice. Experience. We pay attention, we listen." He squeezed Mike's hand. "You and Tina, you'll get there. It takes time."

"What about, um." Mike wanted to ask, to know what they were thinking about him, about what they'd done. "What about . . .  _us_?' Oh, god, he hated sounding young and needy and confused. "You said you don't do casual sex. But I'm not part of your - family?"

Kurt just tightened his grip on Mike's hand. "There's more than one way to define  _family_ , sweetheart. You're not casual; you never will be. Even if this doesn't continue once we get home, this will never be something to throw away, do you understand?" He brought Mike's hand to his lips and kissed it, once. "You matter, Mike. To us."

"Thank you," Mike said, resting his head against Finn's chest. Finn stroked his hair and Kurt held his hand, and he felt safe and warm and loved.

He closed his eyes and drifted a little further into the sensation of  _loved_ ; he felt all floaty and half-aware, until his ears caught the telltale wet sounds of kissing, and Finn was squirming against him.

Mike's eyes flew open and he edged away quickly, catching Kurt's eye.

"Sorry," Kurt said, full of apology. "We didn't mean-"

"No, no," Mike said, standing and moving toward the door. "It's okay." He found his shorts where they'd been cast aside earlier, and stepped into them before pulling on a clean t-shirt. "I'm going to go take a walk, call Tina. I don't know if I'll get to talk to her, but she started her camp on Sunday, and I want to make sure she's okay and everything." Oh,  _Christ_ , he was babbling.

"You don't have to-" Finn started to protest, but Kurt shot him a look, and Finn just grinned lopsidedly at him. "Okay. Thanks, man."

Mike pocketed his phone and slipped into the hall, and wondered if he'd ever feel like he wasn't intruding on something every time anything happened between Finn and Kurt.

**0M0**

"That was... intense," said Finn. Kurt adjusted his head so he could look up at Finn and still keep his head resting on Finn's chest.

"You've been thinking about Mike a long time," Kurt said, trying to be calm. "Of course it would be." His hand made little circles on Finn's chest. They hadn't put their shirts on yet, and Kurt reveled in the feeling of Finn's clean, post-shower skin.

"I guess?" Finn absently kissed the top of his head. "I like Mike. He's a great guy."

Kurt sighed to himself. "It's more than that, and you know it." He stared at Finn. "You do know it, don't you?"

Finn was silent for a moment. He shifted on the bed. "Do you think so?"

Kurt raised himself up on his elbows and gave Finn an incredulous stare. " _Yes._  Finn, I know you. I know exactly what's going on. You're falling in love with him."

"I am  _not,"_  Finn protested, struggling to sit up, but Kurt pushed him back down flat on the bed. He straddled him, kneeling over him with his hands on Finn's shoulders.

"Just like you weren't falling in love with Blaine, right?  _Oh, it's not a sexual thing. I don't have feelings for him._ " Kurt's imitation sounded absolutely nothing like Finn, which Finn knew meant he was just doing it to be a brat, because Kurt was an excellent mimic when he wanted to be.

"Dude, in this case, it's totally a sexual thing," Finn said, grinning. "And I do have feelings for Mike. They're just not falling in love kind of feelings." He cocked his head. "You're worried about that?"

"Well, shouldn't I be?" snapped Kurt. He balled his hands in Finn's shirt and hung on, shaking, as Finn lifted him into his lap and wrapped him up tight.

"You're my baby," Finn whispered into his ear, and felt a tremor pass through his body. "I love you, so much. I always will, no matter what else happens. No matter who else comes along."

"I know," Kurt whispered back. "I really do."

There was a pause. Finn cradled him closer. "But...?" he prompted.

Kurt sighed. "But - no matter how much you love me, I'll never get to be first in your eyes again. I'll never get to be the one you're imagining, hoping for, waking up at night wanting. I'll never be  _new_  again."

Finn considered this, trying not to be hurt by the accusation in Kurt's words. "Okay," he agreed at last. "I get that. But didn't you have the same thing, with Blaine? And before that, with  _Adam?"_

"I know, I know," Kurt moaned. "It's not logical. And you don't get to be new with me, either. But right now, I'm feeling - second best, and I know it's stupid. I love Mike."

Finn poked him with one finger in the ribs, making him squirm in protest. "Who's falling in love now?"

"You know what I mean," Kurt said, batting at his hand. Finn caught his wrist before it could do any damage, and held it fast. This made Kurt go still all over, his eyes huge. Finn gazed back.

"I know how you're feeling, too," said Finn quietly. "Wanting to take care of him... knowing you can make it okay, no matter what he needs. It's just how I felt about Blaine. And  _no_ , it wasn't sexual. Then." Finn grinned. "Maybe I should be worried about  _you_  falling in love with Mike."

"I'm not going to," Kurt said, and Finn nodded, kissing him.

"I know, baby. I'm just teasing. I know this is different - it's the three of us, together. Like it was with you and Puck and Blaine. The three of you, you had your time to help Blaine figure things out, even before me and Blaine had anything sexual. I'm so glad you did, too, because he really needed it. And I'm glad you're here, with me and Mike, because - he needs you, too."

He let the pressure go on Kurt's body, just a little, and Kurt sighed, looking much more calm. Finn smiled. "I kind of like having you as my Top, baby."

"You're such a bad liar, Finn Hudson," Kurt said, and kissed him.

**0M0**

There was a little pond back behind the dorms, and Mike liked how quiet it was. There didn't seem to be any other kids around, so he walked down there and tucked himself cross-legged on one of the wide wooden benches before calling Tina. He really didn't think she would answer, because she was probably busy, and he was so surprised to hear her voice instead of her message greeting that he almost dropped his phone.

"Tina! I didn't think you'd answer." There was music in the background, and voices, and Tina was giggling.

"Mike! Hold on." He heard her whispering to someone, and then it was silent except for the faint chirping of . . .  _crickets?_  "Hey," she said, soft and intimate. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," he said, and before she could call him on his lie he changed his mind. "No. Well. Things aren't bad, really. Just complicated."

"You- did you? With . . .?" She sounded genuinely interested, like she really cared what was happening.

"Not . . . not sex," he said, keeping his voice low. "But other things."

"Was it okay? Are  _you_  okay? I swear, if they hurt you-"

"T! No! No, it's okay. I'm-" he sighed heavily. "I'm okay. Just... after, we were talking and... and Kurt said that he doesn't do casual sex, and I wondered what that meant for me, because they have their whole family thing, and I have  _you_ , and I love  _you._  And Kurt said that even if this stayed here at camp, I'd never be casual because I matter. To  _them_."

"Oh, baby," Tina whispered, and Mike thought that maybe she was crying. "That's so sweet."

"You think?" Mike shifted, tucking his knees under his chin and wrapping his arms around himself. The night was cooler than he'd expected.

"Yeah," she said with a sniffle. Mike tried not to descent into guilt.

"I just- I mean, you're the only one who's ever made me feel like that before, and now... there's the two of them. Kurt said I didn't have to figure everything out at once, but what does it all mean?"

"Do you remember how big everything felt, after our first time?" Tina's voice was level, but he could hear her as she kept sniffling.

"Yeah." How could he forget? He'd felt so close to Tina, but also overwhelmed by all the other desires in his head.

"And we agreed not to decide anything that night, because neither of us were thinking clearly. This is just like that. I really think it's okay if you just feel whatever you're feeling. And listen to Kurt, okay? He's really good at taking care of people, so please, let him do that for you." Tina was emphatic. Mike wondered how often Kurt let people see that side of him.

"I can do that," Mike reassured her.

"Good. Now... can you tell me what you guys did?"

"Tina!" Mike glanced around the pond, making absolutely sure he was alone.

"Mike! Guys together are hot, we've already established that. Please?"

Mike blushed, but he also shivered at the memory of Kurt's mouth on him and Finn's arms holding him. He felt Tina's calming presence on the other end of the phone, and he knew that she'd never betray his confidence.

"Fine. I watched," he told her, "and then Finn watched Kurt and me."

"That's not giving me anything, Michael Robert Chang. Hands, mouths, what?"

"Mouths," Mike mumbled. "And then... I used my hand on Kurt."

"Maybe I'll ask Kurt for some tips, when we get back home. Was he good?"

"Tina!" Mike couldn't help grinning, because Tina was just being herself, but she was making him feel so comfortable. "Yes, okay. He was good. And I'm hanging up now, because I don't want the image of Kurt giving you sex tips in my head."

"Maybe he'd let  _me_  watch," she said, almost to herself.

"Oh,  _god_. Going now."

"I love you, baby," she said, suddenly serious again before he had the phone an inch from his ear.

"Love you too, T. Thank you." He blinked, and felt tears in his eyes. "I miss you."

"I know, baby. I miss you, too, but you have two amazing boys up in your room, and you should go back to them now. Okay?"

"Okay." He wiped his eyes and waited until she ended the call before he moved his phone. Then he sat for awhile, enjoying the quiet and solitude of the empty night.

**0M0**

The next morning was more of the same, although Mike's hickey had faded a bit. The same people were staring at him in the cafeteria at breakfast, and the same guys were snickering about him being a  _baby gay_  and other, less pleasant words.

There were two big differences, though, and their names were Kurt and Finn. They were right beside him throughout breakfast, helping him get his cereal and pour his juice like he was six. For the rest of the day, between classes, at meal times, even when he went running, one or both of them was there, not even needing to talk, not making eyes at him or anything. Just being there.

It felt fantastic.

After dinner, Finn smiled over a spoonful of mashed potatoes and said casually, "You busy?"

Mike didn't even pretend to think Finn wasn't talking to him, because he knew he was talking to both of them. "I should practice that part for men's chorus," he said, trying to keep a straight face.

"Whatever." Finn snorted. "Kurt?"

"I think I can clear my schedule." Kurt watched Finn eat his mashed potatoes with a barely disguised expression of anticipation. "What did you have in mind?"

Finn's grin was far too smug. "I talked to Toby, and he's giving us a pass to go into town." He bit his lip, glancing at Mike. "We could go on a date."

Mike's heart stopped briefly, then restarted again, double time. "Uh..."

"Movies and gelato?" Kurt said, and Finn nodded. "All right, Finn. And you'd better be planning to pay for all three of us. I don't put out for just anybody, you know."

Kurt's voice was a little bit too loud, and the girls walking by their table stopped and stared at Kurt for a long, awkward moment before moving on. To his credit, Kurt didn't blush too hard; he managed to maintain his air of superiority until they got back to their room.

"God," Kurt moaned, hiding his face. "I can't believe I - okay. Whatever."

Finn kissed him, then Mike, before heading into the bathroom. "Come on, guys. Let's not waste any time."

**0M0**

They walked across the river down Bagley to the Mootown Creamery first. Mike felt particularly grown-up, leaving campus like that, their pass tucked in Kurt's pocket. Finn gallantly paid for all three of their ice creams - Kurt had coffee toffee Heath bar, and Mike chose black cherry - and then sat outside under the canopy of trees, watching the people of Berea ignore the three boys eating their ice cream together.

"I wonder if any of them guess what's really going on," Finn said, taking a lick of his vanilla cone. Kurt had laughed at his choice of flavor, but Finn had just shrugged and said  _it's still my favorite._

"You mean, with us?" Kurt rolled his eyes. "Maybe, but I doubt it. I bet I look like your gay brother and you guys are the straight friends."

"Who cares?" Finn said with a shrug. "They don't know us, so why does what they think even matter?"

Kurt stabbed his spoon into his cup. "Sometimes I wish I could just get through one day without being looked at as the gay kid."

"Well," Mike said, snagging a drip off the edge of his cone before it fell on his hand, "I don't think being seen with me is going to help you these days."

Kurt took a bite of his ice cream and then waved his spoon at Mike. "You're a funny, funny boy."

Finn laughed. "Hey, it's kinda true, though. Everyone's so busy talking about Mike that nobody's even really paying attention to us."

"You're welcome," Mike said with a small chuckle. It still stung, having all that focus on him, but knowing that Finn and Kurt were right there with him made it a little less scary.

The movie theater was a little further down the road and around the corner. Kurt took Finn's hand and walked with him that way for a while, ignoring the eyes that fell on them. Admittedly, there were a few, but most of them just acknowledged them and looked away. Maybe they really didn't care. Maybe they did. Mike would never know. Either way, he breathed a sigh of relief when Kurt finally dropped Finn's hand again.

Then he caught his breath when Finn picked up  _his._  He blinked into warm brown eyes. "Hey," Finn said, looking at their hands. "I don't have to, if you'd rather not. But I kind of want to."

"It's okay," Mike said, with only a tiny quiver in his voice. "I - I kind of want to, too."

Kurt touched Mike's back as they entered the theater, and whispered, just for him, "Such a brave thing, sweetheart." It warmed him inside, even if it wasn't anything, what he and Finn were doing. Even if it didn't really mean anything.

Finn and Kurt went back and forth over movie selections for several minutes before they finally turned to Mike and said, "Okay, you pick." Which meant Mike had to come out as a closet Pixar fan, because Toy Story 3 was playing, and he really didn't want to miss seeing it in the theater. Luckily, neither of the other two boys objected. Finn got an enormous size of buttered popcorn and a Coke for them all to share, and they found seats near the back of the theater. Mike sat in the middle.

"So do you guys ever go out on dates, back home?" Mike asked. He felt oddly comforted, flanked by the two of them. He held the popcorn, and their reaching hands could have made him feel crowded, but they didn't at all.

"Two at a time, usually," Finn said. "And sometimes the four of us take Sarah and Frances out. She's Sarah's best friend. I take Rachel out at home, but mostly we have to go elsewhere for dates. Me and Puck can play best friends hanging out in Lima, as long as we don't do anything too touchy-feely. Kurt and Puck and Blaine go down to Masque, in Dayton, to dance."

"Blaine and I go out in Westerville," Kurt added, taking the Coke from Mike. "Finn and Blaine do, too, sometimes."

"And then there are the other people," Mike said, and Finn and Kurt fell silent. He looked back and forth between the two of them. "There are, right? I mean, you said - "

"I guess we did," Kurt said, looking apologetic. "Uh... yes. Some others. But they're secrets. I mean, not from each other, but from just about everybody else."

Mike nodded uneasily. "You don't have to tell me. It's fine."

"Noah and I, we have someone, in California. He's... older. And our relationship can't be public, because it could jeopardize his career."

Finn was clearly uncomfortable. "And my other... I'd have to ask him first, before I told you anything. It's complicated. But Rachel is - uh. Let's just leave it at complicated for now."

Mike put a hand on Finn's leg. Finn looked at him in surprise. "It's okay," Mike said gently. "Really."

After that, Finn was quiet, and the movie started soon afterwards anyway. Mike watched for a while, trying not to get lost in the feel of Kurt and Finn, and the warmth of their bodies next to him, the way their arms brushed his as they reached into the bucket for popcorn. But once the popcorn was gone, and Finn had taken the bucket and set it on the floor, Mike could hardly focus on anything  _but_  the other boys and the way that just being with them, on a date, was turning him on.

It was Finn who took the first step, putting his hand on Mike's bare leg below his shorts. He gasped a little, but there was nobody around them, and the sound didn't travel far amid the noise of the movie. Finn's hand slid up his thigh and nudged his erection.

"Well," Finn said, sounding pleased. Then he leaned over and kissed Mike, right there in the middle of the movie theater.

Mike couldn't help it, he had to kiss back, because kissing Finn was awesome, and the stupid arm of the seat was in the way, but he couldn't help trying to buck his hips up into Finn's touch anyway.

"Hang on," Finn murmured. His left hand came around Mike's neck, holding on firmly to his shoulder, while his right unbuttoned Mike's shorts and slid the zipper down. Mike just sat there, trying desperately not to be noticed by anybody in the theater, but absolutely not willing to tell Finn to stop, because,  _god,_  he didn't think he'd ever been this hard in his life.

Kurt's hand made a pattern on his thigh, sweeping from his knee up into the leg of his shorts, and then back, over and over, which was turning him on just about as much as anything Finn was doing on his side. But then Finn's hand reached right into his boxers and gripped him loosely, stroking him, he could scarcely keep from crying out.

"Shhh," Kurt said, turning his head with a firm hand and kissing him deeply. Mike leaned closer to Kurt. He suddenly wanted to pull Kurt into his lap because Finn's hand felt so good, but it wasn't enough. He needed to move, needed the firmness of something - anything, any _one_  - to thrust against.

"Harder," he managed to gasp into Kurt's mouth, and then Kurt's hand was joining Finn's around him, pressing and pulling, and different enough from the feeling of just Finn's hand that Mike was done in seconds.

Kurt kept kissing him, swallowing Mike's moans, and Finn's voice was so soft in his ear that Mike could hardly hear him over the movie.

"There you go, man. That's it. You liked that, huh?"

"Mmm," Mike hummed, resting his forehead on Kurt's shoulder. There was motion around him, the crinkle of napkins and Finn's sure hands tucking Mike back into his boxers, zipping up his shorts.

"Feel better?" Finn's hand was back, slight pressure on the back of Mike's neck.

"Much," Mike said. He glanced at Kurt, eyes luminous in the light of the movie screen, and then at Finn, smiling at him, and he just felt so lucky and... grateful. He had to do something. Something for them.

"I want to..." He paused, fixing his eyes on the screen. "Can I... "

Kurt's hands played with his hair. "What do you need, sweetheart?"

But Mike couldn't say it, not even with the anonymity of the theater's darkness around him, because, to be honest, he had no idea how he was going to fit down onto the floor of the theater in front of their seats. He spent the rest of the movie thinking about this, being as creative as he could, but even factoring in the flexibility of Kurt's legs, he didn't think it was possible.

They heard people in the lobby talking about how sweet the ending was, but Mike didn't think any of them had been paying much attention to it. He was still thinking about what he wanted, how he had this overwhelming  _need_  to please both Finn and Kurt. He wasn't sure what that meant about him, that he actually wanted to take another guy in his mouth, to make him writhe and groan in pleasure, but the idea was more than compelling.

They walked the three blocks down to the river in silence. Mike followed them down the stairs to the trail that curved along the south side, to the park below.

"It's technically closed at dusk," Kurt said, hesitating only a moment. "We might get caught, being here."

"We'll stay close to the woods," Finn assured him, taking his hand. "And we won't stay long."

Mike went to Finn's side and reached out, taking his other hand, so the three of them were walking together. Finn's smile was enough of a reason for him to do it, and there was nobody watching them, anyway. No reason why they shouldn't do all the things he wanted to do.

Under the cover of a stand of trees, Mike took Finn's hand and tugged him into the shadows. Finn stepped into his arms with a sigh. "Mike," he said. "What are you doing?"

 _I have no fucking idea,_  Mike thought wildly, but he reached for the button on Finn's shorts and had his zipper down before Finn could say one more thing.

"You're gonna - ohhh," Finn groaned, feeling Mike's hand on him, the pressure of the heel of his hand in what apparently was just the right spot. It was where Mike wanted the pressure on himself, what he wanted to feel in the theater, the impact of something solid against which he could thrust.  _God,_ he thought in a daze,  _I want that?_

But right now Mike wanted something else. Something for Finn. And, if he wanted to be honest with himself, something for him, too. He took one more quick glance around the empty park, and knelt before him on the woodchips. He saw Finn's surprised expression, gazing down on him, for one brief moment before he disentangled Finn's cock from his boxers and took it into his mouth.

Or tried to, anyway, because really, how did anyone fit something that big into their throat? It had seemed so much easier when Kurt had done it.  _Maybe I need lessons,_  he thought, and the idea was way, way hotter than he'd expected it to be. He moaned around the pressure of Finn's cock in his mouth, and tried not to let his gag reflex get the better of him.

"Oh, sweetheart," breathed Kurt, his voice low and sultry.  _That was hot, too,_  Mike wanted to say, but there was no way he was going to make any kind of words come out right now. He felt Kurt's presence behind him, leaning over his bobbing head to kiss Finn, just as Kurt had done for him when Finn had stroked him in the movie theater.

For a moment, Mike saw himself as if from a third person's view. He watched himself holding Finn's hand, walking down the street. He saw himself letting Finn take his shorts down and jack him off in the movie theater, while he kissed Kurt. He saw what he was doing now, doing an even more intimate act in an even more public setting - risking arrest, possibly expulsion from the program, certainly some form of censure. And he  _didn't care._

He reached up with both hands, touching Finn the way he knew felt good for him, cupping his balls, pulling back the skin at the base of his cock, running a gentle finger along the curve of his ass. He heard Finn's gasps and moans, and drank them down like nectar.

"Jogger coming," Kurt murmured. "Better hurry. You've got about three minutes before he's in view."

Mike gasped, because the idea of being seen did something to him, and he tried to ignore the fact that he was getting hard again.  _Just at the thought of someone watching you_.

But really, he always had worked well under pressure. He redoubled his efforts, speeding up the pace, taking as much of Finn into his throat as he could, and letting Kurt's encouraging words -  _so hot, sweetheart, that's just what he likes, you can give it to him, so beautiful on your knees like that -_ spur Finn on to buck his hips and stutter out a wordless exclamation before jerking back, taking himself in his hand. He stroked once, twice, then stiffened and came on the ground in front of Mike, getting a little on his shoes.

Mike's immediate thought was,  _hey, why'd you do that?_  But then Kurt was pulling him to his feet, whispering gentle, soothing words, and Finn was zipping himself back up in a hurry before the jogger rounded the bend. He didn't seem to notice the three boys standing under the cover of the trees.

"I think it's time to go home," suggested Kurt, and took Mike firmly by the hand, walking him down the trail to the stairs, back to the road. Finn followed along behind, a little more slowly. Mike was starting to wake up from his strange dream state, but even looking at his actions from the outside, he couldn't help but feel a little pleased with himself.  _I made a guy come with my mouth,_  he imagined himself telling Tina, and wondered if she'd really think it was hot.

Kurt didn't let go of his hand until they were a block away from their dorm, and even then he was moving right beside Mike, his palm warm and solid on his back, almost steering him where he wanted him to go. He walked him right up to the third floor, completely bypassing the elevators, and into their room, shutting the door behind them.

" _What_ were you  _thinking?"_  Kurt hissed, his face white. "What kind of -  _idiotic_  move was that, Michael?"

"Kurt," Finn tried, but Kurt clearly wasn't listening to him.

"You don't get a say here, Mr. Blowjob-Under-The-Trees," Kurt shot out, a restraining hand on Finn's chest, and Finn sat down on the bed without another word. When Kurt turned back to Mike, he looked like he might go ballistic any moment. Mike held up two hands in defense.

"I'm sorry," he said, trying not to panic. "I - I don't know what I was thinking. I just - it was so good, what you did for me, in the theater, and I wanted... I don't know, to... to give something back. To show you how good I felt."

Kurt stared at him, his brow creasing. Then he took a long, slow breath, and a step back. His fists relaxed back into hands, and he crossed his arms, uncrossing them right away.

" _Kurt,"_  Finn said again, meaningfully, and this time Kurt sighed.

"Yes, you're right," Kurt replied, though Mike had no idea what he meant by that. "Okay. Mike." Kurt reached out and took his hand. "That was... very sweet, what you did. Thoughtful... kind of. And I understand why you did it. But - do you think it was the  _best_  idea?"

Mike hung his head. "No. I know it was a stupid idea. And..."

Kurt nodded, prompting, "And what?"

Mike glanced at Finn, then back at Kurt. "And... I still didn't get to thank  _you,_  did I?"

Finn smothered a laugh, then shrugged when Kurt glared at him. "What?" he said easily. "It's not my fault he's a quick learner. Or that he appears to be a natural."

 _Natural what?_  Mike wanted to ask, but Kurt was already stepping into his space, straightening his shirt and cupping Mike's head to pull him into a kiss.

"You were very good, the way you took care of Finn," he said, keeping their heads together. Mike could taste the popcorn on his tongue. "What did you think about that?"

"It's harder than it looks," Mike admitted. "I don't think I did a very good job."

Finn cleared his throat. "Dude," he said. "You didn't hear any complaints from me, did you? That was awesome."

"Yeah, but you - at the end there." Mike paused, flushing. "You didn't want me to - swallow."

"Oh, that? I just figured, it was your first time and all, maybe you wouldn't want to." Finn reached for his other hand. "That was your first time, right?" Mike nodded, grinning shyly at Finn, and he squeezed Mike's hand in return. "So, yeah, man. It wasn't any kind of comment on your performance. You did great."

Kurt looped a single finger into waistband of Mike's shorts and tugged him closer. His other hand reached around and held Mike's neck firm, the same way Finn had done in the theater. "The best way to get better," Kurt said sweetly, placing wet kisses along Mike's jaw, "is to practice. So... why don't you practice on me?"

Mike hesitated, and Kurt smiled in reassurance. "It's okay, sweetheart," he added. "I want that, but only if you do."

"I - I do," Mike stuttered, and Kurt kissed him again, encouraging him to sit on the edge of the bed next to Finn.

"All right. Then come here."

Mike was eye-level with Kurt's fly, and even though he willed them not to, his hands were shaking as he worked the button and zipper.

"Dude," Finn said from next to him. "Don't worry; it'll be just fine. You did great with me."

Except now Mike had had time to think about it, and he was worried that he wasn't going to be able to do anything if he couldn't turn his brain off. He stopped, his hands slack in his lap.

"I don't know if I can," he said, looking up at Kurt. Kurt just smiled at Mike and beckoned him into his arms, where Mike went willingly. He hugged him, holding him on his chest, encouraging him to put his head down.

"What's getting in your way?" Kurt asked, his voice completely calm now. He didn't sound angry at all, and Mike relaxed a little more.

"I want to do it right," Mike sighed into Kurt's chest. "I don't want to disappoint you."

Kurt's fingers played with his hair. "Sweetheart, no. This is new for you, and I know that. We both know that. We'll never judge you for that." He tipped Mike's chin up, so he could look into his eyes. "And sometimes, it's just fun to play. There's no pressure to get anybody anywhere, okay? Just . . . relax, and enjoy it. I know I will."

"Really?" All the guys Mike knew talked like getting off was the only point. He'd never considered that it could be any other way.

"Really," Finn reassured him. "It's okay, however things end up."

"Okay." Having some of the pressure off cleared his mind a little, but he stayed in the safe circle of Kurt's arms.

"What else?" Kurt held him tighter. "What's going on in your head?"

Mike flushed hot, and hesitated because he didn't want to make Kurt upset again. "When we were outside? The jogger? Knowing he was there, it was, um." He tried three times to get the words out, but he couldn't.

"It turned you on, didn't it?" Finn nudged him gently with his shoulder. "I felt you. You were different, after that."

"Yeah," Mike said. "It did. It felt good, then, but now, thinking about it - it's a little freaky. I mean, we were in  _public_!"

"And the theater wasn't?" Finn said, but Kurt shushed him.

"I bet it's hard to believe that you did such things," he said in that same quiet, calm voice. "That you could have been caught. But that's not what you were thinking when you did them, was it?"

"No," Mike said in a whisper. "I just wanted... so much."

"What did you want?" Kurt's voice dipped lower, and Mike shuddered at the desire he heard there. "When you were in the theater. Think about that. When Finn touched you, what did you want?"

Mike closed his eyes and remembered sitting there in the dark, feeling the air conditioning raise the hairs on his bare thighs, Finn's hand dipping into his shorts to stroke him, Kurt's tongue brushing his.

"I wanted to feel you," he murmured. "You, touching me, and me, touching you."

"Yeah," Finn said, letting out his breath. "Guys, they feel different than girls."

Mike nodded, looking over at Finn. Kurt's legs shifted in front of him. He was right there; all Mike had to do was reach out and touch him. As soon as he put his hand against Kurt's stomach, he remembered the desire he'd had to move against something, to  _thrust._ He shuddered.

Kurt smoothed Mike's hair, pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "Sweetheart. Talk to me."

Mike shook his head. "I don't know. I mean, I do know, I just can't say it."

"Why can't you say it? You're not freaking out, are you?" Finn's hand was back on Mike's back in that spot that made him feel warm and safe and loved.

"Maybe?" Mike shrugged. "I mean, I've hardly . . . anything . . . with Tina, and she's being so good, and letting me figure this all out, but none of this is fair to her. What if-" He broke off, swallowing hard and suddenly unable to continue.

Kurt's hand reached out and grazed Finn's head with a knowing smile. "I know that feeling. She's giving you a chance to experience this, to learn what you want. You're not going to lose what you have with her just because you're doing this with us."

Mike turned the thoughts over and over in his head. He sighed. "But that's not the problem. This, what we're doing together... what if I - what if I want it  _more_  than what I have with Tina?"

"Oh, sweetheart." Kurt wrapped his arms tight around Mike, and just held him. "Try not to worry about that, okay?"

"I don't think I could do that to Tina. It would hurt too much." Mike tried to let Kurt's warmth surround him, but he had goosebumps on his arms and legs anyway. He could hear his voice rising in anxiety. "She's already being way too awesome about all of this... I don't know how to tell her how about what we're doing. About what we - what  _I_  did. About what I  _want_  to do."

"Mike." Kurt's hand was on his chin again, and his voice was low and intense, and it was instantly calming to Mike. "I'm telling you, you don't need to worry about that right now. Right now, right here, this isn't about Tina, or even about Finn or I. This is about you, what you need and want. And I want to give that to you, but I can't unless you tell me what that is."

Mike took a deep breath, letting it out, feeling the tension recede. "Okay," he said. "When we were at the movies, and Finn was . . . um. It felt really good, but I wanted . . .  _more_."

"More what?" Kurt asked, his face completely blank.

"Oh,  _god_ , you're actually going to make me say it, aren't you?" Mike was suddenly hot and his face felt like it had to have been absolutely scarlet.

"Say what?" Kurt tilted his head sideways and smiled gently at Mike.

"He wants to fuck something," Finn said softly, leaning forward, his thigh pressed against Mike's from hip to knee. Mike flinched a little at the word  _fuck,_  a word he was never allowed to say at home, and had only used a handful of times in his life. His mother would have never said it. He'd always had the feeling like that word was the worst word of all. But right now, it didn't feel like anything bad. It felt  _good._  He tried to hide his face in his hand, but Kurt hauled him back out.

"God," he moaned. "I can't believe this."

"Is that right, sweetheart?" Kurt held Mike's gaze. "Is that what you wanted? What you want?"

"Yes," Mike replied, so softly that he almost couldn't hear himself.

"Mmmmm," Kurt hummed at him. "A lovely idea... but you're not ready for that yet."

"O-okay." Mike wasn't even sure how Kurt knew that, but he had to trust him. Kurt seemed to know a lot about a lot of things. He wrinkled his brow, shaking his head. "How did you learn about all this stuff?"

Finn chuckled. "I think it was just trial and error, man. Lots of trials, huh, Kurt?"

Kurt didn't answer, but he pulled Mike's head in to rest against his stomach again, stroking his hair. Mike was suddenly aware again of Kurt's arousal, of his zipper half undone, and Kurt's complete aplomb. "You're really good at it," he mumbled, making Finn laugh again.

Kurt was stepping away, pressing Mike back onto the bed as he did. "It's okay, honey. You don't have to do anything. It's been a long night, already, and -"

"No!" Mike cried, making a grab for Kurt's hips. He got one hand on the loop of his pants before Kurt could move any further. "No - I want this. Don't..." He looked up into Kurt's surprised eyes. "Please. I want to."

"Sweetheart... it's okay." Kurt smiled gently. "I'm not saying no indefinitely, just no for tonight. You've done so well, honey. You're so good, and it's time for bed now. Why don't you get changed, and I'll climb in with you for a little while."

Mike blinked, and realized that his eyes felt gritty and his limbs felt cottony. "Okay," he relented with a sigh.

Finn watched him, not with interest, but with care as he got ready for bed, stumbling a little. "You doing okay?" he asked, helping him off with his t-shirt. "It was kind of a lot for one night."

"I think so," Mike said, leaning a little into the coolness of Finn's hands on his skin. They felt familiar, now, which maybe was a little weird, but he didn't mind.

"Good," Finn replied. "Tell either of us, if you start freaking out. That's part of the whole honesty thing. We can't help you unless we know what's going on in your head."

Mike nodded again. He was barely able to put thoughts into words anymore. Kurt had seen how tired he was, even though he hadn't noticed it himself. He sank down onto the edge of his bed, yawning. "He takes... good care of me." He peered up at Finn. "Of you, too?"

Finn's smile looked a little sad, but he nodded. "Yeah. He does. Of all of us." Mike was a little surprised when Finn leaned down and kissed his head. "Go on to bed, now."


	5. July 2011, Week Three

**Chapter Five: July 2011 - Week Three**

Mike stood in the middle of the studio with his eyes closed, just listening to his music for his variation over and over, trying to visualize where his body should be for every beat. After his last session with Toby had ended with Mike panicking again about not being able to stay on the music, and Toby reassuring him that he still had plenty of time before any conservatory would want to see him dance, he'd started coming down to the studio whenever he had some free time during the day. He wasn't sure it was helping, but he figured that getting the music into his body couldn't hurt anything, either.

"Hey," he heard, in Kurt's soft voice, and he opened his eyes. Kurt was leaning in the doorway, still dressed from his jazz class with his dance bag hanging off his shoulder. "You busy?"

"Nah," Mike said, turning off his music. "Just . . . trying to get a handle on my variation. Toby's given me a bunch of adjustments, but I can't seem to put it all together."

"What's the problem?"

"The music. The steps are fine, but I can't ever seem to finish with the music."

Kurt tilted his head a little. "What's got you blocked?"

"Excuse me?"

"You're blocked. You're in your head too much."

Mike glared at him. "How do you know that?"

"Oh, sweetheart." Kurt dropped his bag just inside the door and closed it behind him. "You're  _always_ in your head too much. And it can make performing hard. You need to let it go, whatever it is."

Mike frowned, and dropped to the floor to stretch, because he couldn't just stand there doing nothing. "Whatever it isn't, more like. It's everything, Kurt."

Kurt crossed the studio and sat next to him, brushing his knee against Mike's own. "So talk to me. Is it dancing in general, or this variation in particular?"

"This is the one Toby wants me to use for my auditions this fall, and he thinks I should dance it in the Honors recital at the end of the summer." Mike shuddered at the thought of the concert, because he hadn't danced ballet in front of an audience since he was a kid, when he and Britt had been in that silly combo class the summer after third grade.

"That's great. And you should absolutely dance it for us. You're so talented, Mike." Kurt's words were genuine, but Mike couldn't help feeling like a fraud. He sighed.

"Do you know what they call me, the other kids?"

Kurt shook his head. "No. Are you still having trouble with them?"

"They know I'm not a real dancer," Mike said with a sigh. "They know I haven't had formal lessons in years. They call me Toby's pet, like I'm his property or something, because I'm TA-ing with him and haven't put in my time like everyone else."

"That's- that's-" Kurt spluttered and stammered, and Mike could feel him getting worked up and righteous. "They have no place to say - they know nothing about you."

Mike shrugged. "Eh. They may not know everything, but they know enough." He crossed his legs under himself and leaned on his hand. "They're not wrong," he said then, softly. "I haven't had anywhere near the training most of them have had. I don't have parents who want me to succeed at this. Nobody understands."

"Nobody understands what?"

Mike closed his eyes. The more he realized what he wanted from his life, the harder it was to think about his parents and what they would think. "If I went home and told my father that I wanted to dance, he would be ashamed of me. Do you have any idea what that feels like, to know that I'm only good enough for my father if I follow his dreams?"

Kurt leaned over, rested his head against Mike's shoulder. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I don't know what that's like. But I've watched Blaine deal with that, and it wasn't easy for him, either. I guess you just have to decide: do you want to live for your father and be miserable, or live for yourself?"

Mike had to look away. Neither option was what he wanted, but he supposed it was impossible to have everything he wanted. "I can't- god, I can't make that choice, Kurt."

"I know," Kurt replied, taking his hand and pulling it to his lips to kiss Mike's knuckles. "You're right. But I want you to listen to me. You deserve to be happy. What makes you happy?"

"Dancing," Mike said without a thought. "Always, dancing."

"Good. Then," Kurt got to his feet and tugged on Mike's hand, "teach me your variation. Maybe if we work together we can figure out where you're getting off track."

**0M0**

Toby's meeting with the other dance teachers had run long. They'd been arguing over which students would be able to bypass the audition process for the Honors recital by getting a teacher recommendation, and Toby had had to fight hard for Mike. The others didn't think a recommended slot should go to a first year camper, nor to one who hadn't had the same training as some of the other students, but Toby had never been one to back down, and he was grinning a little at his success when he rounded the corner by the studios.

He could hear Kurt complaining, and Mike teasing him gently, and while he thought about just walking past, when glanced into the studio he could see Mike trying to coach Kurt into the right position for a barrel turn.

"It's like this," Mike was saying, one hand trying to tug Kurt's shoulder into a more open position while the other hand snaked across Kurt's chest. But Mike wasn't just using his hands to get Kurt's position right, he practically had Kurt's whole body draped across his own, and Toby had to laugh, because those boys weren't fooling anybody. They were far too comfortable with each other to be just friends.

"All right, boys," he said with a stern smile, opening the door half an inch to call to them. "Gay men's dance intervention. Looks like we need to have a little talk."

Mike let go of Kurt's arm, and stepped back from him, surprised, but Kurt had been leaning against him and he stumbled. Mike caught him, and they looked at each other for just a little too long before Mike looked away, blushing. "Uh..."

"It's a standard agreement, you know, between those of us in the theater business who prefer men. There are lots of us. Lots and lots. You've heard the saying, don't shit where you eat? Well, darlin', don't fuck where you frolic. It's just not done." He took a red-faced Mike by the arm and moved him gently to the side to face Kurt. "Now, the two of you... somethin's happening, hmmm?"

"Toby," Kurt protested, "it's not really your business, is it?"

"Oh, you're making it my business. By the way you're behavin' around each other. And everybody else, they're gonna see it, too, if you're not more discreet." He smiled fondly at Kurt. "You know I don't think less of you for it. Trust me, my whole life has been dancing in one chorus or another, and we all had to learn this sooner or later. You don't have to stop, you just have to learn to be practical."

"I was just- Kurt thought- my variation, you know?" Mike looked at him with a bashful expression on his face. "He thought maybe if I tried to teach it to him, I'd get past the rough spots."

Toby had to chuckle, because he knew Kurt was very earnest, but he was also a smart boy, and he had to know he was nowhere skilled enough to try to learn Mike's dance. "Oh, darlin'," he sighed, and patted Kurt's head. "That's sweet of you, wanting to help."

"You don't think I can do it, do you?" Kurt glared at him, ducking away from his hand.

"You're not advanced enough," Toby said, trying to be gentle.

Kurt's face went sullen. "I'll never be advanced enough. I'll never be able to dance like Mike, or act like Finn, and my voice is never going to be anything other than this. I'm just me, and I'll never be good enough for anything." Toby actually waited to see if Kurt was going to stomp his foot, but he didn't. Instead, he turned away and faced the wall, running a hand over his face and hair.

Mike looked uncertainly at Toby, but Toby just gave him a reassuring smile and moved in next to Kurt, putting both hands on his shoulders, applying a little pressure. "Breathe, darlin'."

Kurt did, his back expanding, and when he let it go, he leaned back into Toby's hands. "God. I'm sorry. I just - it's been a lousy morning. My voice lesson was crap, and jazz class sucked, and... none of this at B-W was what I thought it would be."

"And Finn - isn't he taking care of you? You know, the way you guys do?" He tried to be subtle in front of Mike, not wanting to interfere with their fledgling relationship, and not knowing exactly how much Mike already knew about what the boys did.

Kurt wheeled around and glowered at Toby. "No," he said, low and intense. "Where exactly are we going to do  _that_?"

"Okay." Toby nodded. "You're havin' a bad time, but you've been through this before, sugar. You know what it feels like, when you're not getting . . . that, right?"

"Yeah." Kurt kind of sagged against the barre. "Yeah," he said again, with a little more confidence. "I just don't think . . . I mean, we  _can't,_  here."

Toby snorted at him. "Says the boy who spent months last year in a dorm at Dalton? Really, Kurt. You know you can, if you want to."

Kurt blinked at him. "Oh. Yeah. Right."

"You can mask a lot with running water or loud music," Toby said with a whisper. "I haven't done the things you do, but trust me, William wasn't ever  _quiet_  when we were in school here."

Kurt blushed and smacked playfully at Toby's shoulder. "I so didn't need to know that!"

"Payback's a bitch, darlin'," Toby smirked. "If you hurry, you might be able to catch Finn when his class gets out. You get an hour," he called after Kurt, who was already halfway down the hall. Mike was just standing there, looking poleaxed. Toby laid a careful arm over his shoulder. "Why don't you get changed, and we'll go get an ice cream, and I'll tell you all about your solo in the Honors recital."

**0M0**

Finn was already halfway up the hall, the girls from his acting class surrounding him like a harem, by the time Kurt made it to the drama building.

"Finn!" He called in the direction of the group, and while the girls kept moving, Finn swung his head around to look at Kurt. He smiled and waved.

"Hey! We're going to lunch, want to come?"

Kurt bit his lip, shook his head. Waited, while Finn said something to one of the girls, and the whole gaggle of them peeled away, leaving Finn clutching a handful of photocopied script pages and looking worriedly at Kurt.

"What's up?" He crossed the distance between them slowly. "Everything okay?"

Kurt shook his head. "No."

Finn waved his papers in the air ineffectually. "Damn scripts," he muttered. "If I hug you, I'm gonna drop them."

Kurt fought the urge to laugh. "That doesn't matter," he said. "C'mon. We have an hour, and I need something."

"An hour for what?"

"Toby told me I needed you to take care of me. So he's taking Mike for ice cream."

Finn looked at him, wide-eyed. "We can't," he hissed. "Not... here!"

"That's what I said, and he rightly reminded me about Dalton. We  _can_ , Finn. And I need it. Please." Kurt hated to feel like he was begging, but he knew Toby was right. He could feel the loose energy all over his body, and it was making him frantic and edgy. Part of the struggle in his voice lesson had been because of the tension he couldn't let go of, and he'd been worked up from that when he got to jazz class. He'd heard some of the kids there talking about Mike, again, and he just wanted to  _take care of what was his,_  and if  _that_  realization hadn't hit him like an anvil in the middle of warm-up, well.

Finn blinked at him, and then took his arm and almost dragged him back to the dorm. He closed the door heavily behind him, watching Kurt with a troubled expression. "What the hell's going on, Kurt?"

"Bad day. For me, and for Mike. Please, Finn, just- I need a damn spanking."

"Yeah, you said," Finn breathed, closing on him. He touched his face, brushing his hair back, and Kurt leaned into it. "And yeah, I'll give you that... God, I've missed you, baby, but... first, talk to me. That's not the only thing bothering you, is it?"

"The kids," Kurt said, tucking himself against Finn's chest. "They're still talking about Mike. Not about us, but about him and Toby and whether he's really good enough to be here. They were going on again, in jazz this morning, and it pissed me off." He growled in frustration. "Then I found Mike practicing, and it's hitting him hard, too. He's starting to doubt himself, and I... don't like that." There was more - god, so much more - but Kurt couldn't figure out how to explain it.

Finn's eyes hardened. "Yeah, I can see that. I think Toby or Darius might need to talk to those kids. They don't know Mike; they don't know what he can do. It's not fair for them to expect him to be able to dance like that, if his father wouldn't let him take lessons." He curled a hand around Kurt's shoulder. "It's really bugging you, the way they're treating him."

He shook his head. "He doesn't deserve that. Not from the other kids, not from his father."

Finn's hand tightened. "I know, baby, but... it's Mike's life. He didn't interfere when Dave was messing with you at school. I think you should talk to him, find out if he wants your help, before you jump in and go all vigilante on their asses." He grinned. "Not that you're not totally hot when you're righteously angry."

"I just want Mike to know that he matters. He doesn't have anyone telling him that, other than Tina and Toby."

"And us," Finn said, and Kurt smiled at him.

"And us. Yes."

"But right now, this isn't about Mike or what he needs. This is about you, and what I can give you." Finn scrubbed at his face. "I wish we'd brought tools. Will you be okay, if I use my hand?"

Kurt shuddered. "Christ, Finn. I'm flying apart, here. I think your hand is  _exactly_  what I need." The idea of it, the sound and the feel and the connection, it was everything that Kurt knew would settle him.

Finn nodded, glancing around the room. He went to put the blinds down, and closed the window. "Can you... uh, maybe we should put some music on. I remember when Blaine and I... yeah. You want to pick?"

"Loud, right?" Kurt walked over to his iPod where it was docked, and thumbed the wheel.

Finn smirked. "Something with a good... beat."

"I got this," Kurt smirked right back, clicking to select Nine Inch Nails' Closer. Finn nodded his approval, taking Kurt's hips in his hands and pulling him flush against him.

"Good choice," Finn nodded. Kurt's eyelids were already drooping, falling into that dream space of submission. "Come on, now... let's get those pants off you, baby."

He helped Kurt pull them off his legs and fold them over the back of his desk chair, followed by his shorts. "You locked the door, right?" Kurt said, his eyes flickering to the front of the room.

"Don't worry," Finn soothed, running a hand over Kurt's bare legs. "You don't have to be in charge of anything right now. Just let it go. I'll handle it."

Even in their most egalitarian moments, Kurt had always found it easy to trust Finn, to believe that everything was going to be okay when he said things like that. Finn had said, once, that it might be the only reason Kurt ever let anyone Top him at all, and Kurt didn't disagree. He didn't relinquish control without a fight - except to Finn. Between the two of them, it seemed as easy as breathing.

"Thank you," he murmured. Finn sat on the edge of the bed, drawing Kurt down onto his lap.

"Right here, over my knee, baby." Kurt could feel the tension flowing off him, already, just from being in this familiar situation, and when Finn placed his hand on the small of his back, he gasped. "God, you really needed this."

"Like you wouldn't believe," Kurt sighed.

Finn stroked him from neck to ass, knowing just how firmly to touch him to give him the stimulation he needed. "We won't let it go this long again," Finn promised. "Not if we can help it. Not for either of us. Understand?"

He let his cheek rest on the bed beside Finn's thigh. "Yes, sir."

The swats were sharp and quick, covering his backside with stinging blows, and Kurt found himself muffling his face in the duvet. How did he forget so soon how much this  _hurt?_  Finn's hand hit a particularly sensitive spot, and he cried out, thrusting forward to get away from the next one.

"Hold on, baby..." Finn tightened his hold with his other arm, pulling Kurt securely against him. "You're all right."

Kurt hadn't ever been more thankful for Finn's expertise as he was that afternoon, as Finn made short work of his anxiety. In a few brief minutes, he reduced Kurt to a sobbing, floppy pile of boy on his lap. Finn's arms were strong and warm as he gathered him up, cradling him to his chest.

"You're okay," he soothed. "You're just fine. I've got you."

Kurt clung to him, the unexpressed feelings and thoughts he was having about Mike swimming in his head. He didn't know how to explain it to Finn, but he also knew he had to tell him.

"Baby," Finn murmured into his hair. "My baby, what? What are you holding onto?"

"It's Mike," Kurt said. "It's not just that he deserves more, or better, from other people. I want things to be good for him, but  _I_  want to make that happen for him." He closed his eyes, let the safety of Finn's arms hold him up. "He's my responsibility."

Finn's arms tightened around him. "Are you saying he's - "

"He's  _mine,"_ Kurt said vehemently. He shook his head, feeling despair. "God. How can that be? Mike doesn't even  _do_  any of this. He doesn't know anything about it. And - how can I even think that, if he hasn't asked for it?"

Finn stroked Kurt's head, putting pressure on the spots on his scalp and neck that would calm him down. Kurt felt his breathing slow, his tension ease. "You don't think he hasn't been asking for it?"

"When?"

"All summer. Before that. Kind of always. You see it, don't you?" Finn helped him sit up. "He does it, kind of, already - with Tina."

Kurt thought about how readily Mike accepted help from him, let himself be guided into action. How calm he got, when Kurt or Finn took physical care of him. The instinctive way he responded to Kurt's Voice. "You're right. He may not understand it, but he needs it."

"But you're right, too, baby; he doesn't know anything about it. He's gonna need you to teach him." Finn kissed his cheek. "When I saw what Blaine needed, Carl helped me give it to him. Now it's your turn to be in charge."

Kurt felt a little thrill surge through him. "I think - I think I can do that. But I need to talk to Mike first."  _And to Tina_ , he thought, wondering which conversation needed to happen first.

"There's no hurry," Finn said, holding Kurt tightly for another moment before releasing him with a kiss on his head. "We still have two weeks, and the whole rest of the summer once we get home."

"Yeah," Kurt said, stepping back into his pants. "Good point. And thank you. I feel better now."

"Me, too," Finn said with a lopsided grin. "D'you think we've missed lunch, because I'm  _starving._ "

Kurt laughed and turned off the music. "Only you would think about food after a spanking."

Finn's expression went solemn. He took Kurt's chin in one hand, tilted it up to look right into his eyes. Kurt felt his breath catch.

"I don't think you're done yet," he said, his own Voice unmistakable. "Your behavior's been a little out of control. You know it, don't you?"

"Yes, sir," Kurt said, and a little tickle of anticipation snaked up his spine.

"Yeah. I saw it. And you'll answer for all of it... after we take a break. All right?"

"Yes. Thank you, sir." Kurt smiled gratefully up at Finn, so happy that Finn always knew how to read him.

He kissed him gently. "That's my baby. I'm going to go get lunch for both of us, and bring it back here. Let me tuck you under the covers, and I'll take care of everything."

**0M0**

Mike followed Toby down the same route he'd walked Friday night with Finn and Kurt, off campus and into town. The ice cream place was a lot less crowded now than it had been then. Toby smiled and waved when they walked in the door, and Mike followed his gaze to where Darius was tucked into a corner table sipping at a milkshake.

"Hey, baby," Toby called, and Darius motioned them over.

"Avoiding the mystery meat in the cafeteria, huh?" Darius smiled at them. Mike thought that he had beautiful eyes and an amazing smile, and then he didn't want to think about what that kind of a thought meant about him at all, so he let Toby and Darius talk, and he turned his attention to the menu.

He was almost decided between a hot fudge sundae or a chocolate chip ice cream sandwich, since he was missing lunch, when he felt Toby's hand on his arm. "I'm havin' a banana split. They make the best ones, here. What about you, sugar?"

"Hot fudge sundae," Mike said.

"Good. Why don't you go sit with Darius, and we can all talk."

Mike thought about all the things he still didn't understand about the odd conversation Kurt and Toby had had, and the way Kurt and Finn were together, and the way Kurt was with him, and he kind of hoped that someone would finally be able to explain things to him. God, he was so tired of feeling like an innocent little boy.

"Where're your shadows?" Darius asked, as Mike slid into the empty chair to his left.

"Back at the room, I guess. Or somewhere together." Mike shrugged. "I'm not their keeper." He didn't quite know why he was so irritated.

Darius regarded him, one raised eyebrow the only comment on his attitude. "They're not your keepers, either, but it sure seems like you've been spending a lot of time together." He stirred his drink. "Everything okay between you guys?"

"It's fine," Mike snapped. He made himself take a deep breath, and tried again, more calmly this time. "They're fine, together, and we're all . . . it's okay."

He watched Toby walk up behind Darius and lay a familiar hand on his shoulder. Darius' own hand grazed Toby's, and he smiled up at him. What Mike saw in that moment stunned him.

"I think I might understand something about that," Darius said softly.

"Hey," Mike said, then stopped. He was so confused about so many things, but this was suddenly very clear. "You two...?"

"Mmm," Toby hummed, sliding into a chair between the two of them. "Since last summer."

"No way," he muttered. But it made sense, if Mr. Schue was really back with Ms. P. And then he realized what Toby had said. "Last summer? But you and Mr. Schue were - I mean, I'm pretty sure the two of you were still... uh..."

He trailed off at the amused expression on both their faces. "Jeez, Mike," Darius said, with a grin. "You of all people should understand that it's not always that simple."

Mike groaned and rested his forehead in his hands. "How did everything get so complicated in only two weeks?"

Toby rested a calming hand on his back. "You're seventeen, sugar. Everything  _is_  complicated when you're seventeen."

Darius shot Toby a look. "Everything's complicated when you're 33, too, Toby."

"True," Toby said, going quiet, and then he pushed away from the table to go pick up their sundaes.

"I don't think I should ask," Mike said, with a glance at Darius.

"Nope," Darius replied. "Besides, I think you're the one who needs a chance to talk. Am I right?"

"I don't know." That was the honest truth. Mike felt like he didn't know anything anymore.

Darius considered this, leaning back in his chair. "Well, honesty is always the best place to start, and not knowing is honest. So let's work from there."

"From where?" Toby set Mike's smaller sundae dish down, and then slipped back into his chair behind a towering dish of ice cream, sauce, and bananas.

Darius just shook his head, clearly horrified. "God, Toby - the  _calories...?_  You're not seventeen anymore, and -"

"You," Toby pointed his spoon at Darius. "You just shut your mouth and let me eat in peace. It's tastier than mystery meat, and my fiance is at home dating a woman.  _Again_. A sundae isn't going to fix anything, but at least it'll make me happy."

Mike looked at both men sideways. "Does there have to be this much drama?"

"Oh, honey," Darius drawled. "We're gay men in the  _theatre_. Of  _course_  there's drama."

"But that's not the drama we're here to talk about." Toby took a huge bite of his banana and chocolate sauce. "This summer appears to be all about  _your_  drama. Come on - this is part two of the gay men's dance intervention, sans dance. What's happening between the three of you, that must be messin' with your worldview somethin' fierce."

Mike shook his head and twirled a spoonful of ice cream into some of the chocolate sauce that was stuck to the side of the glass. "Yeah. It kind of is. But it's not just the... the  _gay_  part of things." He said this last in a whisper. "I think I've been thinking about that for a long time. It's the other stuff."

"What  _other stuff_?" Darius looked at Toby, and Toby shook his head.

Mike turned his gaze on Toby. "Come on, Toby. You know. You probably know more than I do about whatever else Finn and Kurt do."

"Yeah, well, whatever they do is their business until they're doin' it with you. And they ain't, so I think you're gonna have to ask them about it." Toby looked like he wasn't going to budge. Mike let out an enormous, exasperated sigh.

"I'm so damn tired of people tiptoeing around me, not telling me things and talking in freaking metaphors all the damn time. How do I know what questions to ask if I don't even know what the hell everyone is talking about?"

Toby just looked at him in silence.

"Well..." Darius gnawed on his spoon thoughtfully. "I'm not a hundred percent sure I know what Finn and Kurt are doing, exactly, but I guess I can give you some more information, if that's what you're looking for."

"Please." He took a deep breath, hesitating.

Darius made a beckoning gesture. "Come on, out with it. I need more help than that."

"Kurt keeps telling me I'm a good boy," he said, and felt shocked that the words were even coming out of his mouth, given the number of times he'd even heard Kurt say them at all. "I think I like it, when he does that. Sometimes he, like, tucks me into bed, and he has this way of talking that makes me stop, and listen. I always feel really calm, then."

Toby looked somewhat startled, but Darius was only nodding understanding. "Okay. That's all pretty much within the realm of normal."

"In whose universe?" Toby snorted. Darius laughed.

"In my cousin's. She's a dominatrix. Trust me, there's plenty more I've seen, and heard talked about." He paused, thinking. "Kurt... I guess I'm a little surprised? I never would have figured him to be involved in the scene, and not as a Dom."

"Kurt's got plenty of  _in charge_  in him, baby," Toby replied drolly. "I don't think you should be surprised to find there's anything he can't do."

"Um," Mike ran his finger around the edge of his dish. "I don't know if I want to know about the other stuff you've seen, but... I need to know what it means, that I like what Kurt does for me. I'm supposed to be in control, supposed to be a man. I can't- I can't be weak like that."

Toby leaned forward and touched Mike's hand, stilling its movement. "Trust me, Mike; there are plenty of ways in the world to be a good man. My father believed I couldn't really be a man unless I acted like him, so I left home, and had to find my own way in the world, without his help. There were other men who taught me what really mattered. You don't have to listen to what your father's telling you."

Mike shook his head in despair. "My father is already going to be upset that I want to dance. He'd never understand this, not any of it."

"Who says you have to tell him about it?" Darius looked puzzled. "I mean, I never had a dad, not really, but I did plenty of sneaking around. I don't think my auntie knew half the stuff I did."

"He and my mother always taught me to be honest." Mike swallowed a slightly too big bite of ice cream, and the cold trail it left down his throat burned. It hurt, but it also felt good, and more confusion on top of everything else brought tears to his eyes. "Yeah. They want me to be honest, but they never want to hear me, because we never talk about anything. I don't know how to be the way Kurt and Finn are. It's so easy for them, and I can't- I can't- the words just get stuck."

Darius glanced at Toby with a grin. "You're saying plenty of words right now, Mike. Give yourself a little credit. Who says you have to be good at everything?"

"My father says. I'm supposed to go to Harvard or Stanford and become a doctor, and marry a perfect Asian girl and have lots of perfect Asian babies."

"Well," Toby said, nudging Mike with his elbow. "You've got the perfect Asian girlfriend part taken care of. Tina's sweet and smart."

Mike shook his head. "No, trust me, Tina's amazing, but she's  _so_  not good enough for my parents. She's not Asian enough, 'cause her mom's Jewish, and she dresses like a Goth, and she's really opinionated. She's never afraid to speak up for herself. I kind of wish . . . sometimes, that I could be more like her."

"You love her," Darius said.

"Yeah," Mike nodded. "When I told her about . . . well. When I was curious, about boys? She told me it was okay, if I wanted to figure that out. And when I told her that it was Finn and Kurt, that was okay with her, too."

"Wow." Darius looked impressed. He mixed the remaining ice cream in his bowl and grinned. "Maybe I should be dating her. She sounds pretty awesome." He ducked away from Toby's irritated swat. "Okay, so, I get that you trust her. And you trust Kurt. You think the way he wants to take care of you, that's a good thing, right?"

"It makes me feel good," Mike admitted uneasily. "Like someone cares. Like I'm not invisible."

"What the hell, Mike?" Toby looked at him in astonishment. "You're one of the brightest stars I've ever taught. And you're telling me you feel invisible, when you're dancin' Le Corsaire?"

"It's not about the dancing, Toby. None of this is about the dancing. It's just..." Mike sighed heavily. "Nobody ever looks for me, so it's really easy to stay hidden. But Tina sees me, she always has, and Finn. And now Kurt." He felt his lips spread in a grin. "And I like it."

Darius patted his hand gently. "I think that's your answer, then. Maybe you'd better go tell them that. I bet they'd answer the rest of your questions."

Mike pushed out his chair. "Thanks for the sundae," he said, feeling suddenly shy, "and, um... everything."

"Anytime, sugar," Toby replied easily. "You can come to me - to us  _-_ anytime."

**0M0**

Mike wasn't sure how he made it back to their hallway, the way his mind was whirling. He paused outside the door to unclip his keys, and was just about to unlock it when he heard Finn speak over the loud music.

" _On the bed, Kurt."_

Mike jumped a little, because the voice was so much more authoritative than he'd expected from Finn. Not that Finn wasn't a leader, but... this was Kurt he was talking to. And Mike couldn't deny he saw Kurt differently now. He paused, ready to walk away, but the roots of his conversation with Toby and Darius trailed through his consciousness, finding purchase in this exchange. Mike moved closer to the door, with one glance down the empty hallway.

" _This is long overdue, baby. You know it."_

Kurt's answer was too muffled for Mike to hear, but he felt a prickle of unease. Finn didn't sound very happy - not angry, exactly, but kind of  _stern._ Like he meant business. Mike hadn't realized Finn could sound like that. It was startlingly appealing. Mike felt a little embarrassed at how much he liked it... but not embarrassed enough to keep him from listening further.

" _Come here. On your knees, this time. Let me help you get these off."_

Mike found himself wondering just what Finn might be  _getting off_  Kurt, but he stopped that train of thought, because it was going to lead him way off track. He paused as the next phrase floated into the room, and it made the hairs stand up on the back of his neck.

" _You've been a real brat, baby."_

Mike was torn between running away and barging in, but his feet felt glued to the floor. He felt someone bump into him, and then Delia was there, pounding on the door. "Hey, Finn. Nice music. And I totally know what you and your boyfriend are doing in there." She grinned at Mike. "Hey, you."

" _Go away, Delia,"_ Finn called from inside the room, with patient good humor. " _And it's totally none of your business."_

"Maybe not, but your third is out here looking like a deer in headlights, so one of you might want to do something about that."

Mike just stared at her, and she bumped him with her shoulder before continuing up the hall. "You can thank me later," she called, with a flip of her hair. "Trust me, it's so worth it."

Mike let his head fall against the wall with a light thunk. "I hate you, Delia," he muttered, and Finn opened the door next to him.

"Me, too," Finn said, but Delia was already into her room.

"She can't hear us," Mike said resignedly.

"It's okay, I'll talk with her later." Finn took Mike's hand and pulled him into the room. "Dude, why didn't you just knock?"

"You sounded busy?" It was a lame excuse, considering the number of things he'd already interrupted them doing, but Finn turned red and nodded. "Toby said... well, I guess you guys needed some privacy, but our conversation was done, and... here I am."

Kurt peered out from under his duvet. "Privacy," he said, with a sigh. "Yes, we could use... some more of that." He struggled to sit up, and visibly pulled himself together. "But it's okay, Mike. You're here now. And we don't need privacy from you."

"Are you sure, because really, I can go somewhere else so you can finish . . . um. Whatever you were doing? I mean..." He swallowed. "What were you doing?"

Finn closed the door behind them while Kurt reached out from the bed and took his hand. Mike wasn't sure, but he didn't appear to be wearing anything under that blanket. He glanced at Finn, who nodded in reply to whatever silent question he was asking. "Mike... do you trust me?"

"Yes, I trust you." And he did. He didn't doubt that. "What did Finn mean, that you were being a brat?"

Finn moved in beside him and took his other hand. "It means Kurt's totally been acting out. Like, he gets all stressed, and everything annoys him, and he snaps at everyone. Especially me." His smile didn't look upset; on the contrary, Finn looked like he was more in love with Kurt than ever. "So, when that happens, we -"

"Finn-" Kurt put a hand on Finn's arm, looking anxious. "I don't know . . ."

"I think it's okay, baby. We need to talk about this. About all of it. And this is Mike, right? We've already been sharing... stuff. This is just more  _stuff."_

"So eloquent," Kurt murmured, kissing him. "And of course, you're right."

Mike looked at Finn. "You . . . um. You take care of Kurt, the way he does with me, but also... not like he does with me? Darius called it . . ." He played the conversation in the ice cream shop over in his head and then looked at Kurt. "He called you a  _Dom_?"

Finn caught his breath, and looked at Kurt, his eyes alight. "Kurt... you're a Dom?"

"Shut up," Kurt snapped, giving Finn an impotent little push. "You're not helping."

"Oh, no, baby," Finn insisted, trying not to laugh. "I think it's awesome."

He rolled his eyes, tugging the duvet up around his shoulders. "Well, then, can someone please get me something to wear, because I'm feeling very un-Dom-like."

"Yes, sir," Finn said, grinning, and handed Kurt a t-shirt. By the time Kurt had managed to get the rest of his clothes on - and he seemed to be wincing, which made Mike wonder about precisely what they'd been doing while he ate ice cream - Mike was feeling a lot more comfortable, but not a whole lot more enlightened.

"So you didn't really tell me what you were doing," Mike prodded. Kurt sat on top of his covers, cross-legged, and beckoned Mike closer. When Mike sat down on the edge of the bed, he shook his head.

"No, sweetheart. Come here. I want you right here, in my lap."

Mike stared at him. "What, are you kidding me? There's no way I'd - hey!"

In one quick movement, Finn had scooped Mike off the mattress in both arms and deposited his behind squarely in Kurt's lap. Though his legs dangled out, the rest of him seemed to be surprisingly well-contained in the space of Kurt's arms. He found himself mere inches from Kurt's blue eyes.

"Whoa," he said, blinking. "Uh, okay." He laughed nervously. "I guess you're... in charge."

Finn stifled a laugh, while Kurt tightened his arms around Mike, pulling his head down toward his shoulder. Mike obligingly put his head there, and tried not to fidget.

"I know it's still afternoon," Kurt said, "but I think I need to tell you... a story. It's a true story, about me, and Finn, and Noah, and how we all met. And there are other people, too... you know about Blaine, and Rachel. And... Adam." Mike heard Finn take a surprised breath. Kurt gave him a pointed nod.

"And... um, Carl." The name was faint, and for a minute Mike didn't realize what Finn meant.

"Carl? Wait - you don't mean  _Doctor Carl?"_  Mike watched Finn wince, then nod. "Uh, okay." He wasn't even sure how to respond to that.

"And a very nice triad in Santa Fe," Kurt added. "I think you need to know about them all, in order to understand where we came from, and why we do... what we do. All right?"

Mike nodded again, relaxing against Kurt. He was a little surprised at how comforting it felt to be held like this. He didn't think anyone had ever held him that way, not even when he was a kid.

"It all started for us when Finn started having these dreams about Noah," Kurt began.

The story was a long and complicated one. Kurt told most of it, but Finn had several additions and side points to add, including some very surprising stuff about Dr. Carl. Most of the rest unfolded gradually enough that Mike just took it as it came. Many of the things about Puck, how he'd left town last winter, and later when Beth was born, were things he knew. But everything about Blaine's involvement, how he and Finn had met, and last summer with him and Kurt and Puck -  _Blaine and Puck?_  - and Blaine's subsequent banishment to Dalton, that was new. And to finally hear the details about the things Mike had been wondering about - that was almost too much, but Mike knew he needed to hear it. They stopped twice to use the bathroom and get water for Kurt. By the time they'd reached the point at which Kurt returned to McKinley from Dalton, it was nearly dinner.

"Wow," Mike said, feeling like it was entirely inadequate, but just about all he could say in response. "I knew about some of it, but... I never realized that you guys had all this  _other_  stuff going on."

Kurt leaned back into the circle of Finn's arms. "Nobody does, except you. Well," he paused for a moment. "Santana, Mercedes and Brad know pieces, and Toby knows almost everything. And my dad, and Carole."

He had a million questions whirling around in his head, but he didn't know which one to ask. He chose one. "Uh... the spanking... stuff. Isn't that scary?"

"Not scary," Kurt insisted. "Not with the right person. That's my experience, anyway. It's something I figured out about myself, that I wanted Finn to give it to me. It  _was_  scary, though, realizing I wanted it at all."

"I bet." Mike felt kind of young and vulnerable, and he tried really hard not to let it show in his voice.

"But then Finn and Noah and I connected, this way, and it was... well, it was amazing." Kurt blushed, and both Finn and Mike grinned back, helpless under the impact of Kurt's disarming charm. "And then Adam and Carl, and Blaine... we all figured it out together."

Mike chewed on his lip, turning thoughts over in his head. "Why  _do_  you want it?" he finally blurted out.

Finn squeezed Mike's shoulder, and Mike liked the pressure of Finn's hand, tight and warm. "It calms him down," he said. "It gives him a sense of peace inside. When he doesn't get it for a while, he gets... jumpy. Unsettled, like he doesn't fit inside his own skin. He can't focus, and he feels like things are too loud, too bright. The... the discipline..." he glanced at Mike, watching him react to the sound of the word, "it's good for him. And I understand... because it helps me, too, when I can give it to him." Finn paused, then added, his face flushing, "And, uh, it's good for me, too. When I get it."

"From... Doctor Carl?" Mike shook his head again. There was just too much information to process. Kurt laid a gentle hand on his thigh.

"Don't expect to absorb it all at once, sweetheart," he said gently. "I mean, I've been doing it for years and I still don't really understand it all the time."

"I'm a little surprised that you could... want both things, you know? To give, and - to receive?"

"So was I," Kurt agreed. "But most of us do, in our family." Kurt held Mike's gaze, suddenly serious. "Sweetheart, do you think you might want that, too?"

Mike closed his eyes. "I don't think so. All I know is that I like it when you take care of me."

Kurt hummed, low and soft into Mike's ear. "That's a part of it. Caretaking, needing someone to do those things for you. You don't ever need to worry, Mike. If that's all that you want, that's okay, and if you decide you want more, then that's okay too. We'll never push any of that on you. It's just so easy to care for you. You just let me, and it's beautiful."

"Let you," Mike echoed, and laughed, rather shakily. "I can't believe you want to do it. Yeah, I'm going to let you."

Finn reached over and placed a kiss on Mike's cheek. "I hope all... this... doesn't freak you out," he said. "But, well, if you're going to be involved, you might as well know everything up front. No lies, no hiding."

"I am a little freaked out," he admitted, nervously. He tried to say something else, but gave it up after a few attempts and just shrugged. "I'm still here, though."

Kurt gave Mike and Finn a little nudge. "Why don't the two of you get some dinner? I'm not really very hungry. Mike, take a little time to think about everything, and let me know if you have any questions Finn can't answer, okay? I'm going to take a walk."

Finn held out his hand and helped Mike up. He hesitated a moment, then bent down and took Kurt's chin firmly in his hand, almost like he was choking him. It made Kurt freeze, his eyes wide, staring up at Finn. Watching him, Mike almost felt frozen himself, like all his muscles had contracted at once.

"You sure you don't need anything else, baby?" Finn said. His voice had that same intense quality Mike had heard earlier. Kurt made a little noise. "Come on. Don't hide from me."

"I want - you to go get dinner," Kurt said, squirming under Finn's hand. "And let me take a walk... please."

"Hmmm." Finn seemed to squeeze his fingers another fraction of an inch and Kurt stilled. "And when we get back to the room? What do you want then?"

Kurt closed his eyes and breathed softly, and Mike wanted to look away, to give Finn and Kurt their moment in private, but he couldn't. It was like he was compelled to watch.

"I want-" Kurt's eyes flew open and he glanced at Mike before looking back at Finn like he was trying to figure out the right answer.

"C'mon, baby _, tell me._ " Finn's words were low, almost a growl, and they sent Mike's stomach dropping to his feet.

"I want you to fuck me," Kurt let out in a rush.

Mike stepped back. "I'll just-" he started, but Kurt reached out and grabbed his hand.

"No," Kurt said, his eyes still glued to Finn. "I want you to stay. I want you to  _see_ , sweetheart, how it can be."

Finn nodded approval, letting Kurt's chin go, and both he and Mike took a simultaneous breath, letting it out in relief. "That's my good baby," he murmured, stroking his cheek. "So good."

Mike watched Kurt flush, bright and pretty, and to gaze up at Finn in adoration. "God, I love that," he whispered.

Mike could feel it, the approval from Finn, more vital than food or sleep or just about anything, even though it wasn't for him. Even though he didn't need it from him.  _I don't need it from Finn_ , he thought, as they all took a step away and Finn shoved his feet into his sneakers.  _But maybe I_ _ **do**_ _need it from someone._

**0M0**

Kurt wandered down to the pond where the swans floated, placid and regal. He sat by the edge, letting his feet dangle, not quite far enough to touch the water, and took a few deep breaths. Whatever he'd expected to find at music camp, this definitely hadn't been it.  _Everybody's good at what they do here. Music, dance, acting. I'm not number one at anything._  The experience wasn't entirely new, but still a little disconcerting.

Then he laughed, shaking his head.  _Except I'm apparently in charge of Mike._  He stared at his phone, wondering exactly what Tina was going to say about  _that,_ and if it might involve her hanging up on him. Eventually, though, the anticipation got to be too much for him, and he just called her.

"Kurt?" She sounded surprised. "Is everything okay?" There was noise in the background, people talking and he thought he heard the clanging of silverware.

"You're eating."

"If you can call picking at mystery meat  _eating_ , then yes."

"I can call back later, if that's better. I had - uh, something to talk about, and... you might want to be alone for this."  _Really._

"Hold on, let me bus my tray and go outside," she said. He could hear her excusing herself from whomever she was sitting with.

Kurt watched the swans and tried to hang on to the calm Finn had imparted with his hand on his behind, but it was already slipping away.  _I'm not done yet. He needs to finish me off._  He felt a quiver of anticipation. "Is... is Interlochen everything you'd hoped it would be?"

"It's good," she said over voices and the sudden startling blast of someone playing trumpet. "Some of what I expected, and a lot of different. How about I just say that it's been an experience?"

"I can relate to that." The voices and noises dwindled away, until all he could hear was Tina's breathing. "I wish I could say everything was amazing here, but... it's been hard. Hard for me and Finn, and hard for Mike."

"I figured," she said. There was finally silence around her. "He didn't say, not really, but I could hear it, you know?"

"You pay attention to what he needs. He's lucky to have you." Kurt wondered if he might be feeling jealous, because of what Tina had with Mike, but as he prodded that place in his heart, he couldn't find it in him to begrudge them any piece of it. "I really... admire that."

"It's no different from what you have with your guys," she said with a little giggle. "Did you know, watching you with them made me want that."

Kurt was so startled, he almost fell off the bank into the pond. "What? Want what?"

"Want someone who loved me so completely. Someone  _I_ could love that same way. Someone I could really be myself with."

He thought about that. "Wow. I'm... it's been such a long time since you guys got together, I guess I forgot that we got there first, you know? Because the two of you, I feel like you belong together. I can't imagine you not being together."

Tina sighed, and Kurt couldn't hear if it was happy or slightly troubled. "Yeah," she said. "I feel like he's it for me, but I guess we won't know for a while. Especially after he goes off to college."

"I forget sometimes you're a junior, since you're taking so many advanced classes," Kurt said. "I'm glad you still have a year together, at least." He paused, then added, "I know something about what it's like to be away from the person you love so much. You can do it, if you want it enough."

"I do," she said, softly. "Want it, I mean. But... Kurt? You didn't call to talk to me about what happens when Mike goes to college."

He sighed, kicking his feet. "No. I'm avoiding it, because... well, frankly, it's a little confusing. And I'm trying not to freak out, and I can't even  _imagine_  how you're going to feel about it..."

"Are you calling for permission to have sex with my boyfriend?" There was something slightly teasing in Tina's words, but Kurt knew she was being serious.

"No. I mean, yes. We already did... some things." He half-groaned, half-laughed. "I don't think Mike's ready for that yet. But this is only partly about that, and partly... Tina, he's really in love with you, you know. Not us."

"I think I know," she said. She sounded so young, and Kurt really wished that he didn't have to talk about any of this over the phone.

"Really. He's figuring all this stuff out about his attraction for boys, but he's crazy about you. He needs you. I think... uh." He bit his lip. "I don't know, really, how much you understand about how things are between me and Finn and Noah and... everybody."

"I'm not sure . . . I'm pretty sure you guys aren't, um. Strictly vanilla?"

He had to chuckle. "The fact that you know the word  _vanilla_  in regards to sex - I'm thinking you're not referring to something like flavored lube? - that tells me something. And I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

"My mother is pretty sex positive." Tina laughed, too. "But I don't think she'd really want to know some of the things I think about."

"I know what you mean. My dad tries so hard to be accepting, but I think it's still hard for him to think about the things we do. Carole, though... I could tell you stories." Kurt grinned. "You might be a little shocked at some of the things I've  _done._  Mostly I try not to talk about it at school. But - I  _would_  tell you, if you wanted to know."

She sounded interested. "Maybe when we get home, you could tell me. I think . . . I want to learn more about what it's like."

 _You might have to,_  he thought, and laughed again. "You can ask any of us. Me and Finn - when it's the two of us, he's usually... in charge? But with me and Noah, I'm usually in charge. And with Blaine..."

Tina giggled. "You're all in charge of Blaine, right?"

"Yeah," Kurt agreed, with a relieved sigh. "I thought you might understand."

"How about with Mike?"

Kurt paused, a little startled. "We - well, I mean, it hasn't been - we haven't talked to Mike about that, exactly. I mean, okay, we  _just_  did, so at least he understands something about it now, but it's all still very new, and -"

"Kurt. You're babbling."

He closed his eyes. "God. Yes, I - okay, the thing is, even before we started doing  _anything_  with Mike, I felt like... like I could help him. Take care of him, kind of."

"Do you think . . . I mean, you think he needs that?"

She didn't sound all that surprised, he thought. "Yeah, I do. And I think you guys, the two of you - you already do some of that. Taking care of him. Being in charge of him. Don't you think so?"

"Maybe? His parents . . . his father especially..." Tina began, then paused, sighing. "Mike's such a sweet guy, but he doesn't get anything close to what he needs from his parents. I just want him to know he's okay, and that I love him, just the way he is."

Kurt paused, feeling unexpected tears in his eyes. "Tina. You're amazing, you know that?"

"I'm just me," she replied, with a little laugh. "And I'm really glad that Mike has you guys, to figure this all out with."

"I'm really glad you're letting him." He shook his head. "That definitely says something about how much you trust him. And me, and Finn. We care about him a lot. I want Mike to - to get what he needs."

"I understand that, Kurt. But what do you need?"

"I - " Kurt thought about Mike, sitting in his lap, listening to the story of how he and Finn began. He thought about Mike, at the park after the movies, kneeling in front of Finn. "It's complicated. But it's a lot less about the sex, and a lot more about... taking care of him. I think I know what Mike needs, and... giving him that, or making sure he gets it... that's what I need."

"Then . . ." Tina took in a breath, and Kurt could hear the force of her exhale crackling over the distance. "I think- I think you should do that. Mike told me that you guys don't do casual. I know he matters to you both. Just don't hurt him, because then I'll have to hurt  _you_ , and we all know I have Asian vampire tendencies." She was teasing, at the same time everything in her tone was intense and serious.

Kurt almost laughed, but the phrase  _don't hurt him_  lingered in the air. "Tina... I promise I won't do anything that Mike doesn't want me to do. And I'm sure Finn would say the same thing. Is that enough?"

She was silent for a moment, and Kurt held his breath, waiting.

"I think- right now it has to be enough? I trust you and Finn, and I trust Mike." But Kurt could hear her sniffling, and he wished he were there to hold her and reassure her.

"Do you trust yourself?" he asked softly.

"I feel like there's a piece of him that's always going to be yours, now, and not mine." Her breath shook, and Kurt had to measure his own breath, slow and deep, to keep from crying himself.

"I understand that feeling so well. I... when Finn was starting his first new relationship, I was really stuck in feeling left behind. Even though I started my own new relationship shortly thereafter, it didn't make it any easier." He thought about the conversation he'd had with Finn, about not being  _new,_  just a few days ago. "But things  _will_ get easier. You need to talk to Mike. Stay in close communication with him. He'll need that, as much as you do. Is there anybody there you could talk to about this?"

"Yeah." He could almost hear Tina debating what and how much to tell him. "There's a guy in my improv class, he's in a, um. A triad, is that right?"

"Yeah," Kurt said, surprised. Even knowing Brad and Andi and Laurie, he still felt a lot of the time like he was doing something completely unique.

"Okay. Well. He's bi, and he's got a boyfriend and a girlfriend, and I guess I'm a good listener or something, because I swear, Kurt. You thought Glee had drama. We have  _nothing_  on the kids here!"

"That's amazing." He grinned, thinking of the game of I Never. "There are a couple of kids here, too, who understand about the three of us, and the things we do. Even though most of them... don't. Poor Mike. I think he's taking the worst of it. More about his dancing than anything else."

"I'm not surprised. It's like that here, a little. Being talented isn't enough; you have to have a stacked resumé to prove yourself. And Mike, being pretty much self-taught . . ."

"We're all that way, T. But we're still so lucky, to have these opportunities."

"I know," she sighed. "But now I know more about what it's going to take to make it out there. We're already ten steps behind, and that distance isn't going to get any smaller."

"I think we still have a chance, though," he said. It was easier to be confident when it was for someone else. "We have so much going for us. You're so multi-talented, and god, Mike's ballet, you really have to see it." He paused, thinking. "Hey... when are you done at Interlochen?"

"I have one more week. I get home next Friday. I'm singing with the choir, but I didn't get a solo in the showcase."

"Then you can come down and see the Honors recital. Mike is dancing. I mean, if Toby can talk him into it. Do you think you can make it? Maybe - maybe you and Blaine could ride down together?"

Her voice brightened at the prospect. "I'd love that. Blaine won't mind?"

Kurt smiled to himself. "Blaine adores you, Tina. He's been busy, but so lonely, with all of us gone. And he might like the chance to talk with you about all of this. It's the first time he's dealt with us starting things with someone new, because the three of us were already together when he and - um." He trailed off, but Tina was too quick.

"He and who? Because seriously, Kurt, you guys were super close from the beginning, and if you're telling me you knew each other before you went to Dalton . . ." she went silent again, and Kurt could almost hear her brain working, flicking back through the past year. "You  _did_. Oh, my god. When?"

Kurt closed his eyes and curled up on the bench, ignoring the way the wooden slats were digging into his thighs. "Noah, sort of, first, fall of sophomore year, and then he and Finn that winter. Blaine and I didn't meet until we did summer theater together last year."

She sounded fascinated. "Why all the pretending, then, that he was this guy you met at Dalton?"

Kurt's heart lurched, remembering the darkness from the fall, the weeks after Blaine's father found out about everything, and banned Blaine from any contact with Finn or Noah. "Because of his father. I can't- I mean, it's not completely my story, I can't tell you all of it. But it was really bad, and it's better for Blaine if we all pretend that I'm his only boyfriend, and that we'd never met before last fall."

"I'll keep your secret, sweetie," she soothed.

"I know. You always keep my secrets." It was true. Kurt knew she wouldn't betray his trust.

"You might warn Blaine, though, that if he drives me up to see you guys, I'm  _totally_  getting the whole story from him." She paused, and when she spoke again it was less teasing and more serious. "If he's up for it, of course. I don't want to . . . make things worse."

"I'll tell him, but I think . . ." Kurt's heart hurt at the lasting image of Blaine, the way he'd been that first day at Dalton, gelled perfection and an absolute shell of the boy Kurt had fallen so hard for over the summer. "I think he might be ready, now. He doesn't- he won't-" He swallowed, hard. "He won't talk about it with me. With us at all, really, but if he does it's only with Finn, because Finn was there, that night. It took me  _months_ , Tina, to bring him back."

"Back from where?"

Kurt shuddered, the feeling of Blaine in his arms, broken and sobbing and finally letting it go in freaking March still alive and all too real. "From his damn father and the stupid fucking psychiatrist... from his own  _head_."

Kurt wasn't sure what, if anything, Tina realized about what had gone on with them last fall, but Kurt could feel it all like it was yesterday: Noah being gone, and Blaine trapped, alone, at Dalton. His dad's heart attack, the silent solitude of the hospital at night. The gnawing pit of fear in his stomach every morning, knowing he had to go to school and face Karofsky and  _his_  fear and self-hatred. There were plenty of reasons why he tried not to remember it at all.

"Oh, Kurt," Tina whispered. "I had no idea."

"Nobody did, really. I mean, we're pretty much okay, now, but it was a really hard year. Long." He rubbed at his eyes, suddenly tired and more than ready for the shelter of their room and Finn's arms.  _And Mike's eyes,_  he thought, but he didn't let his mind linger there too long, either.

There was noise around Tina again, and even though she'd muffled the phone he could hear her say  _my friend Kurt, from home_ , and an answering squeal:  _oh, your gay boy in the triad!_

Then Tina was arguing, and an unfamiliar voice was in his ear. "Hi, Tina's poly friend."

Kurt laughed outright. "You must be the bi boy of whom she speaks."

"Nate," the boy said, and Kurt could hear laughter in his voice. "And you're Kurt."

"Yes. I'll have Tina give you my number, we should talk. But I need Tina back, because I have... things to do."

" _Boys_  to do, you mean!"

"Oh, god,  _Nate!"_  Tina was squealing, and then apologizing to Kurt. "I'm so sorry, Kurt." There was scuffling, and the unmistakable sound of someone being gently smacked, perhaps on an arm or a thigh. "Nate is a little forward, sometimes."

"It's fine, Tina. And really, do give him my number. But I need to go."

"I know. The boys are waiting for you."

"Yeah. Do you . . . do you want me to have Mike call you, later?" He was pretty sure he'd have Mike do that, even if Tina didn't need it, because Mike was going to need it.

"Please." Tina had gone quiet again. He stepped up to give her one last dose of confidence.

"Talk to Nate, sweetie. And I'll make sure Mike calls you before bed. Everything's going to be just fine."

**0M0**

When Kurt returned to the room, he was startled by the twin sounds of laughter coming from behind the closed door. Finn met him as he entered.

"You will not believe what Mike did," he gasped, grabbing Kurt's hands and pulling him into an embrace. His eyes were shining, and Kurt was caught up in his enthusiasm.

"I'm listening," Kurt said, watching Mike blushing and looking away. "What happened?"

"Well, you can guess what happened at dinner." Finn's lips twisted. "Those same kids had some stuff to say about him, about Toby, and they were  _totally_  crossing a line when they suggested what they might be doing together..."

"God," Kurt gasped, putting a hand on Mike's arm. Mike didn't look upset, but Kurt could feel the anger radiating off Finn.

"Yeah, it was really stupid. Anyway, they were outside the cafeteria afterwards, just sort of hanging out and showing off - I think you know them, a couple boys from Toby's advanced class?"

Mike shook his head. "They're really good."

"Not as good as you," Finn assured him. "And they know it,  _now."_  He grinned. "Yeah... they were trying all these moves, and there was a bunch of girls watching and making them feel like they were all that. And I said... sorry, Mike, but they totally deserved it."

"Yeah, I know," Mike said, barely able to look at Finn. "It was fine."

"What?" Kurt exclaimed, tightening his grip on Mike's arm. "Come on,  _tell_  me."

"I just said how Mike was ten times better than any of them," said Finn, "and he could prove it."

"Oh, Christ," Kurt said, trying to ignore the slightly troubled thoughts running through his head. "What if you'd gotten hurt?" He slid himself under Mike's arm and wrapped his own around Mike's waist. "You can't afford to put yourself at risk, sweetheart."

"Kurt!" Finn rolled his eyes. "He didn't get hurt. It's not like we had switchblades or anything. He just danced." He grinned at Mike. "He kicked their asses."

Kurt sighed into the warmth of Mike's body. "Of course he did, because he's amazing. And it's time everyone else saw what he can do." He looked up at Mike. "Did you dance your variation?"

Mike shook his head. "No. It was just improv, contemporary stuff. But I grabbed one of the girls I know from partnering class, and we did this little swing thing that Tina taught me. It was fun," he admitted, his eyes shining and happy.

Finn moved into the space on the other side of Mike. He hovered close to his face, not touching, but bringing his own mouth close to Mike's flushed cheek. "It was so fucking hot is what it was."

"You've always loved watching him dance," Kurt murmured, and watched Finn blush crimson.

"Yeah, that, but... no, I mean Mike - he was so hot, standing up for himself. He said, 'What did we learn about bullies this year?' and I was, like, they're scared of something, right?" He nudged Mike with one elbow. "So then he said, 'Somebody must be scared that they're not as good as they think they are.' And he  _creamed_ them." Finn's expression was as smug as Kurt had ever seen it.

Kurt let his hand sit, flat and solid against Mike's abdomen. He wanted to do more, to trail fingers under Mike's shirt, to kiss him, to press him into the bed, but the night wasn't about what he wanted, it was about what Mike needed. "I'm so proud of you, sweetheart. Do you feel better, now?"

"Yeah," Mike said. "Hopefully things will be a little better now, at least where my dancing is concerned. I don't think there's much we can do about what they all think of the three of us."

"Don't you worry about that," Kurt reassured him. "I can take care of all of that, if I have to, but it's really none of their business." He kissed him gently, watching Mike's smile grow as Finn mirrored the action on the other side. "Is that nice, sweetheart?"

"Yeah," Mike agreed, face still flaming, but he was responding to their touches beautifully. He wasn't nervous, now.  _Finn helped him,_  Kurt realized.  _Mike needed his own dose of confidence, and he gave it to him._  He felt an overwhelming rush of love for Finn.

"I asked Finn for something, earlier," he whispered in Mike's ear. "Do you remember?"

He could tell by Mike's expression that he could. "I told you I could go, while you guys... uh, do that," Mike said, but Kurt exchanged a glance with Finn, and he knew it would be okay. Kurt shook his head.

"I want you here," he said, stroking Mike's chest. "Right next to me. You don't have to do anything. I know you know how good it can be, when two people love each other, because you have that with Tina. It can be just as meaningful, just as special, with two boys." He let his hand move to touch the back of Mike's neck. "Would you stay, please?"

**0M0**

Mike breathed in against the gentle pressure of Kurt's hand, and tried not to freak out. His simple request,  _would you stay, please_? echoed in Mike's ears. He still had time to escape, if he wanted to. But he didn't want to. He was scared, though, and didn't know how to tell Kurt that.

Then Kurt was right up close in his space, and his voice was firm. "Talk to me, sweetheart. What's going on in there?"

"What?" Mike stared at Kurt.

"I can see you getting lost in your head. Just breathe, and talk to me."

"Scared," Mike blurted, because full sentences seemed a bit much at the moment.

"Okay. You're all right." Kurt stroked his face, watched Mike's eyes close. "Keep breathing. That's it. Let me feel you right here, against me." He put Mike's head on his chest and held him close. Mike could hear the rhythm of Kurt's heart. "I'm not going anywhere. Whatever you want, it's okay. You don't have to say yes. I can handle no just fine."

"He doesn't want to say no to you, baby." Finn was touching Mike's back, not seductively, but just laying his hand on his shoulder, letting the weight of it rest there. Mike thought he should feel trapped, with the press of two bodies around him, but he just felt safe, as he always did with Finn and Kurt. "He wants to say yes."He gazed knowingly at Mike. "Right?"

"Yeah," Mike sighed. "I do."

"Okay," Kurt nodded. Mike could feel Kurt's gaze still on him, steady and strong. "So... if you feel overwhelmed, just say so and we'll stop."

He nodded, feeling pretty overwhelmed already with everything that was going on. He wasn't sure he could deal if it was going to get more overwhelming. Kurt didn't move; he just held him tighter, kept his hands on Mike's head and his chest. Mike felt the soft press of Kurt's lips on his temple.

"You don't have to do anything for me," Kurt said. "The only thing you have to do is to be yourself. That's what I want, most of all. I think being present for this will help you to figure yourself out. That's it. I just want - so much, sweetheart - I just want to give you what you need. I want you to have peace, within yourself, about who you are." He took a deep breath and let it out. "You're such a good boy."

Mike felt his knees go weak. "Why does that always make me feel like jell-o?"

"'Cause everybody needs to hear it," Finn said softly. He smiled at Kurt. "You're  _my_  good boy."

Kurt shivered against Mike, and Mike instinctively held him tighter. "Apparently everybody does." He turned against Finn, seeking his mouth, and Mike found himself about two inches away from a blistering kiss between Finn and Kurt. He made an involuntary noise.

"You're ready for more, baby," Finn said. The suggestion in his voice was complex, and Mike felt Kurt's body relax further as he leaned into the curve of Finn's arm, let Finn's hand rest on the top of his butt. Mike flushed hot as he thought about what Kurt had told him earlier about the spankings. He wondered briefly if Kurt's butt was red, since Finn had apparently done that to Kurt, earlier, while he was having ice cream. The image was not an unappealing one, but Mike had no idea how that could be.

"Yes... sir," Kurt said. His voice was low and resigned, but there was a current of tension through it, and Mike shifted forward, far enough so he could touch his bare knee to Kurt's leg.

"You know what you need." Finn sounded calm and direct, but very intense. And it was clearly having an effect on Kurt, because he closed his eyes and nudged his hips against Finn. Mike wished  _he_  were the one still holding Kurt, that he could be the one to feel that nudge. Then he realized what he was wanting, and it made him blush all over again.  _Apparently Kurt wasn't the only one who needed... something._

"Please," Kurt whispered. Finn gathered him close, and Mike took a step away, sitting awkwardly on the edge of the bed. He felt like he couldn't do anything; even just walking away now would interrupt the connection between them - and he didn't really want to walk away, anyway. So he just tucked himself into the corner of the bed, his arms around his knees, watching.

Finn's focus was entirely on Kurt, now. He smiled, using his body to force Kurt to lie down across the bed, stretched out on his back. There wasn't anything Kurt could do but comply, spread out under Finn's arms. Finn drew Kurt's arms up above his head, holding his wrists captured in one big hand.

"Tell me," Finn demanded, and beside them, Mike shuddered in response. Finn's command was sharp. "Tell me what you need."

"God, Finn," Kurt moaned, tossing his head back. "I need you to fuck me,  _now."_

Mike couldn't help it, he was trying to be invisible but it was just so  _hot_ , seeing Kurt  _need_  like that. He moaned, too, and when Finn looked over at him Mike couldn't look back. He just kept his eyes fixed on the edge of the bed, the way Finn's hand was gripping Kurt's wrists. He wondered what it felt like, being held that way. Kurt wasn't struggling at all.

Finn hummed in agreement. "Yeah, baby," he murmured, reaching under the pillow for something with his free hand. It was a little bottle of something. Mike could guess what it was for, though he'd never used anything like it himself. Finn pressed it into Kurt's hands.

"Get on your knees," Finn whispered. "Clothes, off. Come on."

Kurt moved quickly, shedding his shirt and pants and underwear faster than Mike would have guessed he could, while Finn watched him. He was still clothed when Kurt knelt back on the bed. Kurt was still holding fast to the small bottle. He handed it to Finn without question when Finn tapped him on the elbow.

"I know just how much you need this, baby." Finn ran a hand up Kurt's back, starting at the base of his spine, all the way up to the nape of his neck, and then back down again to cup his ass. "You've been taking such good care of me for the last couple weeks. Giving me what I need. Now... it's your turn. Let me give you what you need."

"God,  _please,"_  Kurt whimpered, his hips rocking back against Finn's hand. In response, Finn uncapped the bottle and squirted a little clear gel onto his fingers, massaging the tips into Kurt's ass with quick, firm strokes. It didn't look like it was hurting Kurt at all, but Mike found himself wincing a little, in sympathy.

"That's it," Finn said, smiling. "Opening up so good. Such a good boy." He did something with his fingers that made Kurt twitch and moan louder as Finn unzipped his shorts.

"What . . .?" Mike didn't realize he'd even spoken until Finn was blinking at him.

"Prostate," Finn whispered with a wicked grin, twisting his fingers again, and then Kurt was sort of collapsing onto the bed and Mike wished he'd been in the right spot to catch him.

He felt unsure, because he didn't want to be in the way. He really wanted to be a part of what Finn and Kurt were doing, but he didn't know if it was okay. He didn't know if anything was okay, and he shifted a little because he was so hard he almost couldn't breathe.

Then Finn's hand was touching him, tugging him out of his anxiety. He gave him a questioning smile. "Kurt needs to be held," he said. "Tight. He needs that, to let go. You, uh... you think you could help with that?"

"Yes . . ." Mike answered, feeling like he needed to say something else to Finn, but the words he'd heard he and Kurt use were echoing in his head and he couldn't grab onto a  _sir_  long enough to whisper it.

"He has a kind of thing about textures." Finn fingered the coarse weave of Mike's polo shirt. "Might want to take this off." He shed his own shirt onto the floor and shimmied out of his shorts, keeping a hand on Kurt the whole time. Finn watched Mike take off his shirt, hesitating only a minute before adding the rest of his clothes to the pile.

Kurt was shaking a little, but Mike didn't think it was from being cold. His skin sprouted a trail of goosebumps as Finn stroked his back again. "You're so ready for me," he said, stroking his own hard cock with some of that same slippery gel. He indicated the bed next to Kurt. "Why don't you lie down there?"

Mike slipped into the spot Finn had indicated, and rested a gentle hand on Kurt's shoulder. Kurt lifted his head and gazed at Mike with bright and slightly unfocused eyes.

"Sweetheart," he whispered, and Mike's stomach dropped to his feet. Kurt looked at him with such openness and . . .  _love?_  . . . that Mike almost started crying.

Kurt must have noticed, because he lifted a shaky hand and traced a finger down the line of Mike's jaw. "You're still here."

Mike swallowed. "I'm going to hold you," he said. "Finn said you like that?"

"Mmm," Kurt nodded, and Mike opened his arms to Kurt, who nestled up against Mike's chest while straddling Mike's middle, raised on both knees and waiting for Finn. Finn smiled at Mike over Kurt's head, resting on his chest.

"That feel good, baby?" he asked, and ran fingers through Kurt's hair even as he pressed into him from behind.

Kurt sighed, and dropped his forehead against Mike's shoulder, opening his legs wider to accommodate the taller boy against him. " _Finn_ ," he moaned again. " _Move_."

Finn hesitated. "Mike... this might be a little intense." He touched his cheek. "You all right?"

"Yeah," Mike said in wonderment, because he  _was_  all right. Something inside of him felt settled, knowing that he could give Kurt something he needed.

Finn's answering thrust pressed Kurt flush against Mike's stomach, his cock wedged into Mike's hip, and Kurt immediately relaxed into it, letting Finn set the pace and Mike take all his weight.

"You're amazing," Mike whispered into Kurt's ear, just for him hear, though Mike wasn't sure how much Kurt was hearing in the moment. "Thank you for trusting me, for making me a part of things. You're so beautiful." He just kept talking, saying all the things he'd been thinking for two weeks and had been too scared to put out into the world. Some of the things he heard pass his lips were things he'd never even expected to say:  _you take the best care of me, I like the way you make me feel special_ ,  _I'm scared that I love you_.

And in the meantime he could feel Kurt's tension building, could feel him slowly coming undone. If he lifted his eyes, he could watch Finn moving, hard and fast and on the edge himself. Everything about what Mike was witnessing was different from the almost cautious and slightly scared way he and Tina were with each other. This was visceral and real. Mike knew that so much of the emotion and energy between Kurt and Finn was borne of time together, time learning each other, to be comfortable not only with the act of sex, but with the way sexuality was expressed between them.

He wondered if he'd ever have that, with anybody.

It was a troubling thought, but not enough to distract him from the sheer intensity of Kurt's body on top of him, giving him friction in all the best ways without anybody trying. Mike had a moment of minor panic when he realized what was about to happen, but Finn picked up on it before he could say anything, and he grasped Mike's hand over Kurt's back, drawing his attention long enough to nod and say, "Hey, it's okay... just let it happen. You're safe here. Everything's fine."

Mike nodded, and Kurt shifted, pushing against Mike's hand on his back, and Finn groaned, and Mike was done for. His orgasm was so sudden that it almost shocked him, but he didn't even have time to think about what it all meant, because Kurt cried out himself seconds later and stiffened, thrusting hard against Mike and leaving them doubly wet and sticky. Finn, contrary to rumor, seemed to have no trouble holding out for Kurt's satisfaction, but he followed shortly thereafter.

Mike watched Kurt's response to Finn's climax in fascination, and wondered if Kurt could feel it when Finn came inside him. The thought was incredibly compelling, but Mike didn't think he could bring himself to ask.

Finn kissed Kurt's neck, whispering  _good boy_  and  _I love you_  before disengaging, stiffly sitting up on the edge of the bed with his hand still on Kurt's back. Kurt didn't seem to be wanting to move, so Mike just stayed where he was. Finn's eyes met Mike's. "You okay?" he asked.

Mike tried not to think about the fact that he was sort of tentatively stroking Kurt's hair; it just felt like the thing to do, while Kurt lay against him catching his breath. "Um, I think so?" He honestly couldn't tell, because he was sort of hazy the way he always got after he came, and he didn't feel like an accurate judge of much of anything in that moment.

"That's fine," Finn assured him. "Kurt's in a vulnerable state right now. We call it  _subspace._  He could use a little care, but I thought maybe a three person sandwich might be a bit much for you right now. You okay staying with him while I get some water and a washcloth?"

Mike just held onto Kurt, felt the other boy clinging to him. "I don't think I have an option to go anywhere, even if I wanted to. Which I don't," he added, so Finn understood.

Finn leaned over and let his lips rest on Kurt's cheek again, and when he shifted to kiss Mike, it didn't seem strange. "Good," he said. "Because I was going to ask if you might want to stay right where you are, tonight. The three of us could fit, with a little creativity."

"You think?" Mike felt bold and raked his eyes up and down the length of Finn's body. "Maybe two years ago, before Kurt got all tall and buff. But I think if we tried now, one or all of us would end up on the floor."

"Puck and Kurt and I used to manage pretty well in Kurt's old bed. But you're probably right." Finn paused, thinking. "Actually... let me try this." He assessed the room for a moment, then walked naked to stand beside his own bed. With a little effort, he managed to push it over next to Kurt's bed to make a reasonable facsimile of a double. "There. There's a little hole in the middle, but it'll be okay."

While Finn was in the bathroom cleaning up, Mike felt Kurt start to stir. He shivered a little, huddling against Mike, and he reached down to pull the sheet up over their two bodies. He'd hoped to wait until Finn returned with the washcloth, because he didn't want to get the sheet wet or sticky, but he also didn't want Kurt to be cold.

"Hey," he said quietly, as Kurt opened his eyes. "Finn will be right back." He felt suddenly uncertain, wishing he wasn't the only one there - which was kind of funny, when he thought about it. He smiled, and Kurt smiled back, and it was just as suddenly fine again.

"God," Kurt sighed, long and luxurious, and stretched every muscle in his body. "That... was incredible. And just what I needed." He blinked sleepily at Mike. "Are you -"

"Not your job to worry right now," said Finn, emerging from the bathroom. He'd brought them both a cup of water. After they drank, he handed Kurt first a warm, wet washcloth, then a dry towel. Kurt moved slowly, cleaning himself up, and, somewhat shyly, Mike as well. He seemed to notice the second bed for the first time.

"Mike?" He touched Mike's chest, a question on his face.

"I suggested it," Finn said. "I didn't think you guys should be apart tonight, not after that. Mike seems okay with it, right?"

"Yeah," Mike said, his voice raspy even after his glass of water.

Kurt smiled, flushing, and Mike found himself in Kurt's strong embrace. "I'm so proud of you," he whispered. "And thank you, for everything. You gave me just what I needed."

"You're welcome," Mike answered, letting Kurt hold him. It felt  _so_  good.

The bed wasn't particularly comfortable, but it was good enough, and Mike thought he might be able to sleep on a stone floor after that orgasm. He found a space along the wall, with Kurt spooned against his chest, and Finn flanking them on the other side, his head pillowed on Kurt's arm. It seemed familiar and comfortable to both of them, and Kurt was asleep in minutes. Finn stayed awake a little longer, watching him. He smiled at Mike, who was doing the same.

"He's beautiful, isn't he?" Finn whispered, stroking Kurt's clavicle with one finger. "Kind of blows my mind, really."

"I never realized . . ." Mike let his eyes follow the path of Finn's finger. "He's so different, from what I expected. You both are."

Finn chuckled softly. "Yeah. You should see Puck. He's... well, you'll see, when we get home."

"Do you think- I mean-" Mike wasn't sure what he was trying to ask, so he just closed his mouth and shook his head.

"What?" Finn propped himself up on his elbow and looked at Mike over Kurt's body. "You don't have to worry about saying the wrong thing, it's okay. Ask whatever you want."

"Do you think we'll keep on doing . . . this? When we get home? I mean, I have Tina, and you guys have . . . everyone." God, Mike didn't even know if he wanted that, what was he doing asking about it?

"You get as much a say in that as we do." Finn didn't look upset by the question, but he wasn't looking at Mike, either. "I think you and Tina should talk about it."

Mike sighed. "Yeah," he said. "We talked about keeping things at camp, and then again about you guys, and what that might mean when we get home."

Finn nodded, still keeping his eyes on Kurt, watching his chest rise and fall in sleep. "So... what do you think it might mean?"

"I don't know," Mike answered honestly. "I mean, I know you guys don't do casual, but I don't know if I want to have what you all do, all the time."

Finn reached out a hand and touched Mike's arm. Mike thought he looked more serious, more intense than the easy-going Finn he saw during the day.

"Whatever you decide is okay," he said. "Really. We're your friends, first. We can be, again, if that's what you need. I - nobody will pressure you to do anything you don't want."

Mike shifted, unintentionally wrapping himself a little closer around Kurt's sleeping form. "What if what I need and what I want are two different things?"

Finn nodded, dropping his eyes. "I get that," he said. "Believe me, I do. And you still get to decide. Even if the decision is hard. Even if it might seem impossible."

"But you guys won't just pretend like this didn't happen, right? Because I don't-" Mike swallowed around the lump in his throat. "I wouldn't be able to do this, anymore, if that's how things would be. This matters too -"

"No," Finn interrupted. "No. We wouldn't do that. You're way too important to us."

"Good," Mike said, feeling relief flood through him. God, he was  _so_  tired.

"You should sleep now," Finn said, rubbing the back of Mike's hand. "Today was . . . a big day."

Mike wasn't sure how to tell either of them this, but he'd never spent the night in a bed with another person, not since he was a little kid. He and Tina had done all their explorations during the day, and when he'd spent time with her in the evening after a date, he always had to leave before his curfew. So tonight, he dropped off with no trouble, but he woke up several times in the middle of the night as Kurt shifted against him, feeling alternately warm with Kurt's body next to his and chilly as they jockeyed for the single-sized sheet and blanket pulled over them.

After half a dozen wakeful episodes, he carefully climbed out over Kurt's legs and stumbled to his own bed, pulling the cool sheets back. It was a little lonely, watching the two of them snuggle in together on Kurt's bed, but sleeping alone felt more familiar, and he was able to get several uninterrupted hours before dawn.

When he woke again, it was to Kurt's quiet voice. "Sweetheart? Can you open your eyes for a minute?"

"Mmmm." He startled a little, because Kurt was right there, inches away from his face, propped up on an elbow next to his pillow. Mike hoped his morning breath wasn't too bad. "Good morn-mmmmph!"

Apparently whatever morning breath he had wasn't enough to drive Kurt away, because Kurt was right there, pressed full against him, kissing him for all he was worth. Mike's anxiety about his breath melted away in the face of Kurt's naked body touching his through the sheet. He moaned softly, and heard Finn stir in the other bed.

"After last night, I needed to thank you," Kurt said by way of explanation, but Mike's attention was solely on Kurt's thigh, tucked between his, and rocking very slightly, not enough to give him any kind of relief, but enough to transmute his morning hard-on to something more urgent. "And I thought I'd give you a choice about how to do it. How'd you like my mouth on you?"

"Yes," he gasped, without a second thought. "Yes, that would be -  _ohhhh."_  That was Kurt's fingers, pinching his nipples, pulling his sheet down. He was only vaguely aware of Finn coming over to them and seating himself on the edge of the bed, but he could feel Finn's hands touching his legs as Kurt knelt between them.

"You were so good last night," Kurt said, smiling up at him. He placed a kiss on Mike's abdomen, inching lower. "Taking such good care of me... I hope that wasn't too strange."

Mike felt a blush creep up his cheeks at the memory. "I liked it," he admitted. "I liked being able to take care of you that way. It was- um. Pretty intense."

"I bet." Finn's hand crept higher on Mike's hip, stroking lightly along the sensitive skin on his thigh. "You guys were amazing to watch."

"Mmm," Mike sighed, tipping his hips to meet the pressure of Kurt's lips as he kissed his way down Mike's skin. " _You_  guys were amazing."

Kurt's smile widened. "You enjoyed that, sweetheart? I thought you might." He took Mike in his mouth, almost lazily, and Mike gasped at the sensation. "More possibilities to consider. Because... it felt...  _so_  good."

Mike was quickly losing focus from the wet slide of Kurt's mouth on him, but he couldn't erase the image of Finn's fingers moving, twisting, making Kurt positively fall to pieces. "Questions," he gasped as Kurt's own fingers slid against the sensitive skin behind his balls.

"Plenty of time for questions later, sweetheart," Kurt said, and Mike could hear him smiling. "Right now, just relax and let me thank you."

Mike saw Finn, hovering beside them, watching Kurt's movements with a hungry expression. He looked like he wanted to do more, but he was holding back, keeping to himself. Mike opened his mouth to take a breath, and choked out, "Kiss me - please."

Finn looked startled, but moved to comply, holding Mike's head firmly. The pressure of Finn's tongue inside Mike's mouth mirrored Kurt's actions below, and Mike cried out in surprise at the sensation. "K-kurt...?"

"He's taking care of you, baby," Finn whispered against his skin. His hands were so gentle, compared to the ruthless way he kissed. "You just let him love you, okay?"

"Okay," Mike replied, shaky and breathless, trying to resist the urge to buck against the pressure of Kurt's relentless tongue. He balled his fists in the sheet, because any second now he was going to  _have_  to touch himself, and that was going to be  _really_  embarrassing.

Kurt chuckled, and Mike could feel the vibration of that sound reverberate inside himself. He moaned. At the same moment, Finn took him in one hand, still leaning over him, and engulfed Mike's moan with a kiss. "So hot," Finn said, and Mike could hear the tension, the need in his voice. "Fuck, Mike, you have  _no_  idea what you look like, letting Kurt do you like this."

It was too much for him. Mike gave it up to the friction provided by Finn's stroking hand, the unbelievable sensation of Kurt's tongue, and came hard with a barely suppressed wail. Luckily Finn was there to muffle his sounds with his mouth. There wasn't anything he could do but lie there and try not to feel completely mortified by the way he'd lost control.

But Kurt was right there, clambering up to lie on top of him, murmuring words of praise and support and what felt a whole lot like love. Mike clutched him in his arms and held on, his breath shuddering in and out, his mind reeling while he gasped, "God... Kurt, god, you make me feel so  _good..."_

"That's my job, sweetheart," Kurt sighed, his voice rich with satisfaction. "To do everything I can to make you know how incredible you are. Because you deserve it."

Mike was just this close to letting go, to letting it  _all_  go, and just falling apart in Kurt's arms - but he couldn't quite do it. Something was holding him back. He just squeezed his eyes as tight as he could, huddling into Kurt's embrace, and did his best to withstand the torrential downpour of emotions he was feeling.  _Too much,_  he thought.  _It's all too much. God, how am I going to tell Tina about this?_

Eventually, he opened his eyes, and Finn was still there, resting a hand on Kurt's back and gazing at them with a worried expression. "Mike," he began, but then he stopped, and sighed. "Come on. You've got to get ready for breakfast."

**0M0**

Finn stuck his scripts in his folder and returned it to the slot where they belonged. He barely needed them anymore, but Amy, their drama coach, still wanted all the campers to have them on hand to mark stage directions and other cues. If anyone had told him three weeks ago that he'd be able to memorize whole scenes from six different plays, he would have told them they were nuts.

Of course, he would have said the same thing if anyone had suggested he or Kurt would be having sex with  _Mike Chang -_  and yet last night and this morning had come pretty damn close to just that. Finn felt a shiver of excitement at the memory.

Last night... Mike hadn't even  _done_  anything, had simply held Kurt, but that had been enough to drive a relatively common experience up to a whole different level. It was one with which Finn and Kurt were familiar: sharing a bed with a third person. The logistics were always dependent on the person, their comfort level, their relationship to each of the other two, and what they all happened to want or need at that moment.

Last night, it had been pretty clear what Kurt had needed, and it was a lucky situation that Mike had been so ready to give him part of that while Finn took care of the rest. What Mike needed was a little more complicated and uncertain, but he seemed to be working through that at a rapid pace. Finn was glad for that.

Which left Finn with the question: what did  _he_  need?If Kurt was going to take care of Mike, and Mike wanted that, what did that mean for Finn? He was pretty sure he didn't want to Top Mike. Which was good, because while Mike hadn't resisted Finn's gentle suggestions last night, he hadn't felt a strong response from Mike to want that from him.

Finn closed his eyes and let himself picture Mike, spread out beneath him, holding Kurt in his arms, telling him all the things Kurt needed to hear. It had been perfect - and it had taken all Finn's self-control not to be the one to climb into bed with Mike this morning and show him  _just_  how much he had appreciated his presence with them. Feeling Mike sleeping just inches away all night, that had been more erotic and tempting than he'd known what to do with.

But Kurt had woken up in  _his_  arms, and Mike had been nowhere to be seen.

"Finn," Kurt had breathed, as Finn growled and pressed him into the mattress. "What -"

"Shhh," Finn had said in an undertone. "Let him sleep. I think he's back in his bed. I need - baby, just let me -" He'd thrust against Kurt in frustration, and Kurt had simply opened up to him, welcoming him into his body.

"I know what you need," Kurt had whispered, and had stifled his noises in Finn's shoulder as Finn entered him in one, firm stroke.

"No," Finn had said. He couldn't stop, but he also couldn't lie to Kurt. "You don't get it."

"I do," Kurt had insisted, catching his breath at the forcefulness of Finn's movements. "And it's okay. I understand. It's  _okay_  for you to want him, Finn."

"Baby," he'd moaned, trying to keep his voice down, but he felt himself breaking down, already on the edge - with the object of his desire six feet away, sleeping peacefully. "How can that be  _okay?"_

"It always was." Kurt had kissed him, fiercely, matching his motions thrust for thrust. "Adam... Blaine... Carl... even Rachel. We've always been there for each other, no matter who else was  _new._  And I know you never stopped wanting me."

"I never did," Finn had vowed, feeling the tension peak. "God, Kurt, I never will."

It had been as quiet as he could make it, but even as they'd groaned out their release, Finn had heard Mike stir in his bed. He'd taken a few blissful moments to enjoy his lover's body, the feel of his hands, the scrape of Kurt's unshaven cheek against his own. Then he'd pushed himself off and gave Kurt a nudge.

"Go on," he had said, breathing hard. "Go to him. He needs you."

Watching Kurt take care of Mike, with his hands, his mouth, his words, it had been almost too much for Finn to handle. He'd held back, really seeing Mike, realizing for the first time just how much he wanted... and not at all sure Mike was wanting any of it in return. He'd felt the unfamiliar pangs of jealousy in his gut, twisting like the remains of a brutal impact. He'd almost stood up and walked away, leaving them to their lovemaking. Almost.

And then Mike had opened his eyes, and begged him,  _Kiss me._  And there was no way Finn could have left, after that. He wasn't going to miss it, wasn't going to let Mike down, not if there was any little thing Finn could give him that he wanted.

"Hey," he heard, and Finn opened his eyes to see Delia next to him on the bench in the drama room, a hand around his shoulder. She looked worried. "What's the matter, Finn?"

"Shit," he whispered, blinking at her. "I think I'm in love with Mike."

**0M0**

Finn seldom came to Mike's practice sessions, but he was there in the back of the auditorium that afternoon. Mike hadn't seen him much that morning. After breakfast Kurt had kissed him and told him to have a good session with the baby ballet dancers. Finn had been there in men's chorus, but they were all working hard on their numbers for the concert on Tuesday, and Mike hadn't had time to do more than give him a friendly smile and a surreptitious touch on the hand. Then it was lunch, and Finn didn't show.

"He told me he had to meet with his scene partners," Kurt said when Mike asked about him, but he didn't look too convinced himself. He shrugged. "It's not like Finn to behave like this, but... it's part of a discernible pattern? So I guess I'm not really surprised. If it is what I think it is."

"What... do you think it is?" Mike asked, and Kurt laughed, shaking his head.

"I can think all I want, but it's Finn's decision to talk or not to talk about it. You'll have to ask him."

His smile was so generous and all kinds of other things that Mike could just smile back, nodding. It was the best kind of feeling to have that smile trained on him. He only wished he didn't have to be so aware of everybody watching him smiling at Kurt.

 _He's incredible,_  he wanted to say to the crowd of glaring, sneering students.  _He's incredible and you have no idea how happy he makes me._  But he couldn't, so all he could do was glare back and pretend it just bounced off him, as they did in Glee when the slushies got particularly bad.

And he knew, too, only part of it was about Kurt at all, that his very presence was enough to make the kids irritated at him, because  _he_  got to dance in the honors recital, and  _he_  got to have private lessons with Toby... and the only reason he got those things in the first place was because Toby was Mr. Schue's friend. He wasn't ungrateful for Toby's help, but he didn't want it if he didn't deserve it. He wanted to earn it honestly - to be the best,  _and_  to get noticed for it. It didn't matter how many times Toby or Kurt or Finn told him that it was true, that he was good; he still couldn't really believe they knew what they were talking about.

So when Mike went to rehearsal after lunch, he was already on edge a little from that morning. Toby was gathered by the side of the stage with three other dance students. Mike didn't know them, though he knew Toby was coaching some others; one of them looked impossibly young, but she was working the shank of a pointe shoe back and forth in her hand, so she couldn't have been that young. Mike set his bag down with a thunk, and Toby eyed him sideways.

"You're late," he said with a stare.

Mike looked around at other kids who were slowly trickling into the auditorium. "I was at lunch, and Finn - "

"No excuses. You guys need to be early to warm up, so you're ready to go when rehearsal starts. You need to have your music cued up so everyone else doesn't have to wait." He used his arms to wave everyone in close, and he smiled at them. "And you need to go out there, every rehearsal, and kick ass. Because we all know that dance is the best department, but they don't know that."

The girl giggled, and Toby patted her head. "You get to go first, then, Danielle." She sat and shoved her foot into her shoe, tied the ribbons with ease, and boureéd over to her bag. She handed Toby a battered orange iPod, which he stuck in the dock at the front of the stage.

"You're next," he told Mike, settling in to watch, and Mike dropped to the floor in an out of the way corner to stretch and ignore the butterflies in his stomach. The other boy in the group plopped to the floor next to Mike, and he let a pair of tap shoes fall next to him with a clatter. Mike jumped, Toby shook his head at them, and pressed the button for Danielle's music.

Mike couldn't keep his eyes off her. She was so tiny, almost ethereal, and she danced like she'd been doing it since birth. Her variation was one Mike felt like he'd seen somewhere, but couldn't place, but the boy spoke up. " _Prayer_ , from Coppèlia," he said. "She's totally a prodigy. I heard a rumor that she's going to try for SAB once she's old enough."

Mike shook his head. "How old  _is_  she?"

"Twelve," the boy answered. "You're Mike."

"Yeah," Mike said. "I don't know you."

"Jared," the boy nodded. "Toby was telling me your variation is really something." He busied himself with his shoes. "I only have basic ballet."

"What are you doing?" Mike glanced at Jared.

" _I Can do That,_  from  _A Chorus Line_?"

Mike nodded. "My girlfriend loves that show. We did  _Sing!_  for our duets lesson in glee club this year."

"Girlfriend?" Jared's eyebrows rose, and his voice was full of surprise. "I thought . . . you and those guys . . ."

Mike couldn't help it; he had to laugh. "Oh, god, why won't everyone stop talking about that?"

Jared shrugged. "Because you guys are the only interesting thing happening here this summer. Seriously. At least last year there was a scandal in the theater department. So, are you bi or what?"

Mike spluttered, because not even Finn or Kurt had asked him any questions about how he viewed himself. "I - wow. Um. I don't know?" He went silent for a moment, watched Danielle glide across the stage. "Nobody's ever really asked me before. But I guess . . . I guess, yeah, I  _am_  bi." His hands were shaking, and his heart was racing. "Damn."

"Hey," Jared put a hand on Mike's arm. "You okay?"

"I, uh. I don't know." Mike couldn't think, and Danielle was at the edge of the stage taking correction from Toby. "And I'm next." He tried to stand up, but his head felt fuzzy.

"No," Jared said, tugging on the hem of Mike's shirt and pulling him back to the floor. "I'll go next, you need to put your head down and breathe, and you'll be just fine in a minute."

"You sound so sure." Mike watched Jared start to move away, the taps on his shoes clacking against the floor.

"I am sure," Jared reassured him. "And hey, it gets easier, saying it. I would know," he added with a little wave and a wink.

 _Kurt is right,_  Mike thought while Jared got his music set up.  _We really_ _ **are**_ _everywhere._ Then his breath caught, because he'd never felt like a real part of  _any_  community before, and he'd never willingly made himself a  _we_  unless he was talking about Tina.  _And somehow, I'm not freaking out about it._  He kind of couldn't wait to tell the guys.

Mike focused on his breathing while Jared knocked his number out of the park. He had exactly the right kind of loose energy and playful voice to portray the teenager who'd learned to dance after following his sister to class. Mike felt more than a little self-conscious that his own variation was a classical piece, when compared to Jared's contemporary Broadway number, but that self-consciousness dropped away after launching into the first few bars of Le Corsaire.

He could hear Toby's voice in his head, counting out the beats, encouraging him, even though Toby was just standing silently, watching. He had a momentary flash of fear as he launched into the turns that always hung him up, but Toby's voice was there again from that morning that seemed so long ago,  _come on, Mike, dance the shit out of it_.

 _No fear,_  he thought.  _Let it go_ , Kurt's voice overlapped with Finn's in his head, and he could  _feel_  the three people who'd always believed in him, even when he couldn't believe in himself.

They lifted him, kept him focused, and when he finished at the edge of the wings he was right on time with the music. Finn was nodding at him from the back of the auditorium, Toby was smiling, and from a seat in the front row Danielle was staring at him with wide eyes. He crossed the stage, took his iPod back, and tried to get past Toby without a scene. But Toby grabbed him into a rough hug and just said in a choked voice,  _"That's_  what I've been looking for. I'm proud of you."

Mike slid back to the floor near his bag and started stretching to keep warm, a smile playing over his lips.  _What do you know?_  he thought.  _I'm proud of me, too._

Finn's eyes wandered around the room, watching Danielle and Jared practice, but they always came back to Mike. He thought it should have made him feel anxious to have somebody's attention on him that way, but it was actually kind of nice. He felt himself being a little more self-aware while he was stretching, conscious of his body in a way he wasn't always. He aimed his tentative smile at Finn, and his return smile was both gentle and intense. It reminded Mike of his touch this morning on his leg while Kurt had sucked him off.

 _Okay, not helping with my focus,_  he thought, consciously looking away. He was here to dance.

And with every pause, Mike could see Finn's eyes, warm and brown, caressing his limbs as they spun out. Even before any of this, before Mike had even been aware of any kind of attraction or feelings for any boy, Finn had watched him dance with appreciation approaching awe. He'd never made fun of Mike when he'd talked about dancing in middle school, when  _everything_  was embarrassing, and his compliments had always felt genuine.

But now Mike had the sense that when Finn watched him, he was seeing something beyond the movement of his body, that Mike affected him in a very personal way. He couldn't quite comprehend how it made him feel, to know Finn was watching him like that. Wanting him, just because of the way he moved. Finn was leaning forward, his elbows on his knees, shifting in his seat, and Mike knew with a wave of dizzying certainty that Finn was hard, right now. It was far more of a turn-on than Mike was used to feeling during a rehearsal.

After that, Mike's performance changed. Instead of rehearsing for the honors recital, he was performing  _for Finn._  Each flourish, each turn was delivered with the aim of eliciting another smile, another nod of appreciation, and especially another of those smouldering, slack-jawed stares. It made Mike feel powerful, to be able to do that to another boy. To  _Finn._

When Toby finally let them go, Mike busied himself with his dance bag and tried to pretend that he couldn't feel Finn's gaze deep in his gut. When he righted himself, Jared was standing there with his own bag slung over his shoulder.

"Your guy, he's cute." Jared lifted his chin to where Finn was standing in the doorway, leaning with his arms crossed and his backpack at his feet. "Honestly, if I hadn't heard about what went down at Delia's party, I never would have pegged him for our team."

Mike watched Finn's expression with a growing feeling of anticipation. "There's a lot he keeps hidden," he agreed. "Uh..." He paused, cocking his head at Jared. "What about me? How did you, uh, peg me?"

Jared sort of squinted at him. "Is it true, what I heard? That you don't take lessons?"

"Yeah," Mike admitted. "It's complicated, but I haven't since I was a little kid. Toby coaches me and a few other kids from my school, and we help with his garden in exchange for his time. Why?"

"Jeez, like, all the guys at my studio are at least bi. You really don't know any other guys who dance?" Jared sounded incredulous.

"I live in Lima, man." Mike shook his head, and Jared just slung an arm over his shoulder and steered him up the aisle toward Finn.

"You need to broaden your horizons, Mike. Stick with me, I'll hook you up with the right crowd."

Before Mike could reply to that astonishing offer, Finn was standing before him, disentangling Mike's arm from Jared's and taking his hand in a firm grip. He glared at Jared.

"Dude. I think we've got the right crowd covered. Mike?" Finn's gaze was hooded. "Kurt's waiting for you. Are you coming?"

Mike's heart beat triple time.  _Kurt_. "Yeah," he said, following Finn. But he turned back and nodded at Jared, because he also knew that he needed to meet other guys who understood his passion and absolute overwhelming need to dance. "Thanks. And... can we talk more? About your routine?"

Jared nodded. "Breakfast tomorrow?"

"How about lunch?" Mike countered, because his brain and his heart and his dick were already focused on the promise of their room and  _Kurt and Finn_ ,and if things went the way he thought they might go tonight, he wasn't at all sure they'd be out of the room that early. Jared nodded again, and waved them goodbye.

Mike felt the squeeze of Finn's hand on his own, and he glanced over at him with a grin he didn't bother to disguise. He figured Finn could see exactly how he was feeling, but just in case it wasn't clear, he leaned in and said, "I - saw you watching. Watching me dance."

"Yeah," said Finn, the tension clear in his voice. He took a long breath. "God, Mike. You were - I can't even describe it. You're... really talented."

Mike wanted to argue with Finn, because it was what he always did when people complimented his dancing. But he thought about Danielle, watching him, and her soft voice as he'd passed her chair.  _Just like Nureyev_ , he'd heard her say, and Jared had fist-bumped him and told him he was  _awesome, dude_. Even so, he still looked at the ground when he nudged Finn with his shoulder to lighten the moment. "Thank you," he said.

"I mean, you know I always thought that, but... Mike, I've never seen you dance like that." Finn shook his head. "Holy shit."

"It was you guys," Mike said softly, trying to figure out how to explain what had happened there one the stage, all the energy and support he'd felt coming together to give him what he needed to get through the hard parts. "I could feel you, both of you, and Toby, and it made it easier to just dance it instead of thinking about it."

Finn opened his mouth to answer, then shut it again, turning away for a moment. "That's... I'm..." Mike could have sworn Finn's voice was shaking, but he paused, and when he resumed, it was steady again. "I'm glad. Really."

He let Mike's hand go, and he didn't touch him again before they got back to their third floor room, but seconds after the door had closed behind them, Finn had his hands on Mike's head, gripping him tight, pulling him into a kiss that left them both gasping.

"You're gonna have to tell me if I'm going too fast," Finn said, his voice barely a groan. He swept a hand under his shirt, brushing his nipples with rough hands, and Mike couldn't even pause long enough to suggest a shower. "I don't think I'm going to stop, otherwise."

Mike pushed into Finn's touch. "Don't want you to stop," he breathed, because he didn't, but he could feel an absence in the room and he did pull away from Finn's kiss. "Where's Kurt?"

"Listen," Finn said, kissing him again, and Mike focused through the blood pounding in his ears to hear the rush of water in the bathroom. "Shower."

Mike shivered under the pressure of his mouth. "That... mmm... might be a good idea. Maybe I should do that when he's done."

Finn grinned. "I think you should go in and join him. I bet he'd like that."

He twisted one of Mike's nipples, and Mike felt his knees buckle. "God," he moaned. "Hard to think about anything else when you do that."

"You won't be thinking much at all, soon," Finn said. "Here. Let me help you." He lifted Mike's shirt, and Mike raised his arms, letting Finn slide the fabric up and over his head. Then he hooked his thumbs into the waistband of Mike's shorts, and he shoved both shorts and boxer-briefs off Mike's hips and into a puddle on the floor. He ran his eyes over Mike's chest, his stomach, and blew out an appreciative breath. "You're really hot, you know that?"

Mike ducked his head and blushed. "Thank you?"

"It's true," Finn said, circling around Mike, staring at him. Mike squirmed a little, because even after everything that had happened between the three of them these past three weeks, he wasn't used to being looked at like that. Finn hummed, and slid his palm down the length of Mike's spine before swatting him gently and playfully on the ass. Mike jumped, and Finn smiled at him again. "You should go, catch Kurt before he turns the water off."

Mike darted across the floor and into the bathroom, which was warm and steamy and smelled of Kurt's citrusy shampoo. "Kurt?" he called out, not wanting to startle him.

Kurt peeked his head out of the curtain and smiled at Mike. "Hi!" He looked so happy, and Mike almost melted. "Finn sent you to join me, didn't he?"

"Yeah," Mike said, and Kurt shook his head.

"He knows I do enjoy wet, soapy boys. Come on in, the water's still nice and warm." Kurt pulled back the curtain and waited while Mike stepped over the edge and into the shower.

"Mmmm," he sighed. "I definitely needed this."

Kurt moved so Mike could duck under the spray, and he was almost surprised to feel Kurt's hands on him, rubbing soap over his back with a washcloth.

"How was your rehearsal?" Kurt's touch was soft, almost protective, and Mike felt rooted to the floor. He let Kurt wash and rinse his body, pepper his shoulders and chest with delicate kisses.

"It was really good, actually," Mike answered, taking the bottle of shampoo that Kurt held out to him.

"I'm still not tall enough, or I'd wash your hair for you," Kurt admitted, and Mike felt weak-kneed again.

"Nobody ever takes care of me like you do, you and Finn."

"Good," Kurt said, rising up on his toes to kiss Mike full and hard and more than a little wet from the water cascading over them. "That's exactly how we want it to be. Giving you exactly what you need."

"How do you know what I need?" Kurt's hands dipped lower, settled on Mike's hips, and Mike could feel Kurt's own body, so close and yet still so frustratingly far away.

"I know," Kurt said, swirling his tongue around one of Mike's nipples, "because  _I_  need to give it to you. That's the way it works. You open yourself to me, and I give it to you... and we both get what we need." He gazed up at Mike, his eyes so blue, each eyelash beaded with moisture from the shower. "Can you feel it, sweetheart?"

"Yeah," whispered Mike. "I just... I never even knew I wanted that."

Kurt laughed, rich and full and fond. "It happens like that. Or, it did for me at least." He wrapped his arms around Mike and pulled him close in a tight hug. "You're so beautiful, and I'm so distracting you right now. Here," he pushed Mike back under the spray. "I'm going to get out so you can finish. Come out to us when you're all done, okay?"

Mike nodded, feeling unsteady, and leaned back on the wall of the shower, watching Kurt's secret smile as he closed the shower curtain. He took a few deep breaths, touching his chest, feeling his heart beating hard.  _What are you about to do, Michael?_  he asked himself.  _Are you sure you want this? Because you can't go back after something like this._

But the answer was clear. He did want it, even if it was scary, even if he was uncertain. Even if he'd only just said the words  _yeah, I guess I am bi_  for the first time that afternoon. Because this was  _Kurt,_ and  _Finn,_  and in three weeks they'd come to mean something to him that went far beyond anything he'd felt for a friend before. He didn't know what that meant for the future, but he didn't think he could say no to this, not if he could have it right now.

Mike finished his shower as quickly as he could, paying more attention to certain parts of his body than he usually did, because if anyone else was going to be  _touching_  or... or  _entering_ them, he wanted all of his parts to be really clean. He turned off the water, fumbled for a towel, and found one folded and waiting for him on the edge of the sink.

He could hear Finn and Kurt talking softly as he dried off and scrubbed hard at his hair, because he always hated wet hair leaving wet spots on his sheets and pillows. He didn't bother to comb it, but he did stop and brush his teeth, and thought longer than necessary about whether to wrap the towel around his waist or just go back into the room naked.

"Hey," Finn said, opening the door an inch. "You okay?"

Mike looked down at where his hands were clenching and unclenching around a wad of his towel, and took a deep breath.  _Yes or no, Michael. You're either in this or out of it, but you need to decide._  He looked back up at Finn, remembering his and Kurt's continued mentions of openness and honesty. "I think I'm a little scared," he finally admitted softly.

"If you don't want to . . ." Finn trailed off.

"No, no," Mike was quick to reassure him. "I want to, I just... I don't know what I'm doing."

Finn's smile was easy, and when he reached for Mike's hand, Mike took it with no question. "Dude, if you're okay with Kurt leading, you don't have to do anything _._  Just let him take care of everything. And if you decide you want to do something, or try something... you can try it with me." He touched Mike's chin, feeling the smooth skin where he'd shaved. His eyes softened. "I'm guessing there's nothing you can think of that we haven't already done."

"Yeah," Mike said, laughing nervously. "That's probably true. I suppose that should freak me out, right?"

Finn's hand continued around to the back of his neck, still gentle. "But... it doesn't?"

"No," he said, leaning into Finn's touch. "It... I like it. With Tina, we were both trying to figure it out together, and... I guess I felt bad, like I should know what to do. Or one of us should, anyway."

"That's how it was with me and Kurt. We had to figure things out together, too." Finn squeezed, just a little, and pressed his lips to Mike's neck, his teeth grazing his skin. Mike felt the flutter of his tongue and heard himself make a little noise. "But with Carl, he was the experienced one. I liked that, too. He taught me... a lot."

Mike stayed close to Finn as he began to take slow steps out of the bathroom, trying to step carefully and not stumble. And then he felt another pair of arms encircle him, these from behind, and he felt so warm and supported that he relaxed, letting Kurt hold him up, letting Finn draw more noises from Mike with his teeth and tongue. Letting himself want what they had to give him. Letting himself feel all the confusing things that had been coming up in his head and heart, that he wasn't quite ready to say.

"We've got you, sweetheart," Kurt said, carefully nibbling at Mike's shoulder. "Just let us take care of everything, and if you want to stop just say so."

"No," Mike murmured. He turned his neck a little further to let Kurt's mouth settle against his neck. "Don't want to stop."

"Good," Kurt said, his lips tickling and his breath falling hot on Mike's still-damp skin. "Then I won't stop until I've given you what you need." He gave Mike a little nudge, making him fall against Finn. "Go on. Onto the bed."

Mike had several sets of images in his mind about what this might look like, but when Finn lay down on his back and opened his arms to Mike, smiling, Mike knew instantly what Kurt had in mind. "God," he moaned, letting himself settle on top of Finn's long body.

"That's right." Kurt ran his hands up and down Mike's back and sides. "So beautiful," he murmured, and followed the path of his hands with his lips, whisper-soft and tender and demanding at the same time. Mike felt himself arching his back into Kurt's caresses, wanting each one more. By the time Kurt reached the center of his back, he moaned, and he heard Finn's quiet chuckle.

"I think he knows what he wants, baby," Finn said.

"Yeah," Kurt sighed, and Mike thought he could hear Kurt's smile. "I think he does. I don't think he's ready yet, though." His fingers trailed lightly over the curve of Mike's ass to massage his thighs, and Mike shifted, trying to open his legs a little.

"Not yet, sweetheart," Kurt said into his ear, and Mike shivered when Kurt's breath tickled the side of his neck. "Relax. Just let me love you."

"Why don't you rest, here," Finn said, pulling his hips down on top of him. "We've got all night."

Mike settled further into the nest of Finn's body and tried to focus on the security of Finn's arms around him even as Kurt's actions were getting him harder and more turned on every second. He could feel the tingle of Kurt's touch at every point on his skin, and deep inside himself, there was a resonating response that he could barely understand. He could feel Kurt's hands on the inside of his leg, making traces up and down his skin, toward his knee and back toward his ankle.

"You can feel him touching you," Finn said, kissing him gently at first, then letting it build as Kurt's hands reached higher with each stroke. "He loves it. And I love feeling you here, on top of me."

"Yeah?" Mike asked when he broke away to breathe.

"Oh, yeah," Finn sighed. "I don't get to do this, much. I'm usually the one in charge."

Mike wasn't sure what to say to that, so he just leaned in and kissed Finn again. He was just settling into the rhythm Finn was setting of tongue and teeth and lips when Kurt's fingers brushed the opening to Mike's body, and he jumped.

"It's okay," Finn said, cupping his head in one hand. "Relax into it. Kurt's an incredible lover, he's gentle and patient, and he's going to make you feel  _so_  good..."

"Want that," Mike said, trying not to feel too nervous. He could feel Kurt's finger circling him, softly, and god, how his body  _wanted_ , but his brain was getting in the way.

Finn chuckled. "Stop thinking about it, man. If you do that, you'll never let it happen. Just let it all go, and focus on what feels good, okay? And Kurt won't do anything until you're begging for it."

Mike nodded into Finn's chest, and Kurt's finger stayed where it was, the motion and pressure constant and unchanging. "Feels . . . good," Mike murmured, and it did, even though he didn't think it should.

"That's right," Finn said, running an hand over Mike's cheek. "Just feel. What do you want, Mike?"

Mike opened his mouth to say  _I don't know,_  but the words changed somehow between his brain and his tongue, and they came out like, "Your tongue."

Kurt's moan was just about the hottest thing he'd ever heard, and Mike felt himself being rearranged, his legs opened and pressed up and suddenly there was heat, and wet, and he could feel Kurt's tongue thrusting inside him. He cried out in surprise, and an overwhelming desire for Kurt to keep going.

"Feels awesome, doesn't it?" Finn kept talking, and Mike really wanted to tell him to please just stop, because it was distracting, but what came out instead was  _please, more_.

"Soon, sweetheart," said Kurt. Mike could hear him doing something, but he wasn't sure what it was until he saw the condom wrapper on the bed next to them. He swallowed.

"Not yet," Finn promised. Mike could feel Finn's own erection, resting on his stomach, pressed against him, and every time Kurt moved, Finn rocked his hips a tiny bit. He moved a little bit faster now, with more focus. "It's better if you wait until you can't stand it any longer."

Mike remembered Finn using his fingers with Kurt, so he wasn't surprised to feel Kurt pressing against him with a finger that felt cool and wet. He flinched a little at the intensity of the sensation, but Finn was  _still_  talking, telling him to push against it, to breathe, and to let his body get used to it.

"How does it feel, sweetheart?" Kurt asked. Mike squirmed.

"I'm - not sure," he said.

Finn's hand slipped between the two of them, brushing against the skin of his balls, and he took Mike's cock in his fist, squeezing a little. It felt slick, and Mike wondered what it was he'd used to give it that feeling.

"Go on," Finn urged. "Fuck my hand. Let me feel it."

Mike hesitated, feeling a little silly, but he tried an experimental thrust. It felt so different from his own hand, he wasn't quite sure what to make of it, but then as he raised his hips to try again, he felt the pressure of Kurt's finger again, slippery and firm. He pushed forward against Finn's hand, and back again, taking a little bit more of Kurt's finger, again and again until Kurt's finger didn't feel strange anymore.

"You're ready for more, sweetheart," Kurt said. His finger vanished for a moment, sliding out, and Mike kept thrusting against Finn, already missing that sensation - but then it was back, two this time, and he was more ready for the experience of stretching, the brief discomfort. He knew what was coming after that, and he sought it out, thrusting harder, and back against Kurt's hand. He heard himself moaning louder, and heard Finn's shush.

"I love it too," Finn said, low and urgent into his ear. "Later, you can fuck me if you want."

" _God_ ," Mike said, and he didn't want to wait until later, he wanted everything right that instant. He shifted against Finn, seeking. " _Want_ ," he whined.

Finn's breathing was rapid, and Mike heard him groan. "I know, man. I know, me, too, but we have all night. Right now, this is about Kurt, taking what he wants from you."

"Please," Mike said, pushing back against Kurt's hand again and again. " _Please,_ Kurt."

Kurt's fingers were withdrawn in one instant, and something else was pressing into him, something much thicker and smoother than his fingers. For a second Mike was sure he was never going to be able to take something that big inside himself... and then as he thrust again into Finn's hand, he could feel something new, inside, and he cried out at the sensation. This time when he pushed back into Kurt, it was Kurt's body he felt against his back, and Kurt's legs wedged against his ass.

"Do you feel me, sweetheart?" said Kurt's voice, both breathier and more rough than Mike had ever heard it before.

"Oh, god," Mike cried out again. "God, Kurt, you feel - that's  _you."_

It had been him all along, of course, but Finn nodded, as if he knew exactly what Mike meant.

"That's it," he said into Mike's ear, his voice catching. "Feel him inside of you. It feels so good, doesn't it? And you look so hot, man, so beautiful, taking him... taking all of him, like that."

Mike couldn't quite grasp it, the experience he was having. The sounds of Kurt and Finn making love were nearly identical to those he'd heard last night, but now, they were making love  _to him._  He was sharply attuned to the experience of Kurt inside him and Finn's hand around him, but strangely, the sensation of Kurt's hands gripping his hips, and the sight of Finn's eyes rolling back each time Mike thrust into his hand, those were just as sharp and poignant.

"Hey," said Finn, sounding surprised, and so tender. "Does it hurt?"

" _No,"_  he said, his own voice coming out hoarse. "No, it - not at all." He wasn't at all sure what would happen if Kurt moved, but right at that moment, it didn't.

Finn's other hand came up and touched his cheek, and Mike realized with a start that it was wet. "You're crying, baby," he murmured. "What is it?"

"It's just so  _much,"_  he choked out. "I'm sorry."

Kurt stroked his back with a soothing hand. "No, Mike... you have nothing to be sorry about."

"I'm sorry," he said again, swallowing around his tears.

"Do you want to stop?" Kurt stilled, and the only sounds Mike could hear was the three of them breathing raggedly.

"No," Mike said, softly, and then more decisive. "No, please. Keep going." Because god, the sensation was a lot, but it was also good and something Mike wasn't sure he'd ever experience again, at least not like this, not with two people who cared about him.

Kurt slowly, carefully let Mike fold forward into Finn's grasp, and just as slowly pulled him back, their bodies sliding together and apart. Mike kept waiting for the discomfort, the pain he expected, but when there wasn't any, he found himself seeking more, trying to speed things up - and Kurt's gentle pace wouldn't let him. It was a little frustrating, and suddenly not nearly enough. Mike made a noise that made Finn laugh in surprise.

"You trust me, sweetheart," said Kurt, still long and languid against Mike. "Don't you?"

"Yes," Mike sighed, because he couldn't muster enough breath to do anything else. "Always." He knew as soon as he said it that it was true; he'd always trust Kurt.

"That's so good." Kurt leaned over him, and Mike groaned at the weight of Kurt's body on top of his, pushing him into Finn. "So... you have to let me be in control. I promise, I'll make it wonderful. Just let it go."

God, Mike knew he was so close to coming, and he shuddered against Finn. "C-can't," he ground out. "Too- too close."

"Oh, holy  _fuck_ ," Finn cried, and Mike felt him suddenly buck and flood Mike's stomach with warmth and wetness. The sensation was unexpected, but Mike experienced a wave of relief on the heels of Finn's orgasm. He didn't have to feel like he was so out of control, now.

"Don't worry about it," Kurt urged, keeping the slow, steady movement. Mike thought he might feel something, just the edge of something really amazing. Kurt must have felt it too, because he kept moving and told Mike, "That's it, just feel it. Let it go. That's my sweetheart, my good, good boy, come  _on_."

Mike could feel the tension in his body uncoil, just as slowly as Kurt was moving, and unlike the suddenness of Finn's orgasm, Mike's just rolled through him and he came and came and  _came_  until he was weak and limp and laughing.

Kurt's smooth, controlled motion paused, and when he withdrew, it was with such perfect care that Mike swiveled around and launched himself into Kurt's arms. Finn watched them with a little uncertain smile.

"God,  _Kurt,"_  he said, still laughing. "You're  _magic,_  that's what you are. You make me feel..."

"I know," Kurt murmured into his hair, kissing him on the forehead, holding him tight. "I feel it, too. It's so good."

Mike was riding so high on the rush of the whole experience that it took him several minutes to realize that Kurt hadn't come yet. He watched Kurt dispose of the condom with astonishment. "Kurt? Aren't you - I mean, can't I..." He reached for Kurt, laying a hand on the inside of his thigh, and delighted in Kurt's shuddering gasp. "I want to..."

Kurt smiled at Mike, and ran one hand through his hair. "I won't say no this time, sweetheart." He tightened his grasp, and Mike felt his head jerked back in a sharp, imperious movement. It made the bottom drop out of his stomach, and he groaned at the unexpected rolling wave of desire that swept over him. He wasn't sure how it was even possible, after the climax he'd just had. Kurt's hand directed his head up, so their eyes met. "As a matter of fact, I might make you do it."

"You don't have to make me," he said, still smiling. "I want to."

Mike lost himself in the smells and tastes of Kurt, the feeling of Kurt's hands in his hair, but then he noticed Kurt's own responses had slowed. Eventually Kurt's hands slipped to the bed, and he leaned forward, nudging Mike to sit up. "Finn?"

Mike turned to see Finn pulling on his shorts, his face turned away. "What - Finn, what's going on?" He felt a pang of unease.

Finn shook his head. "Just - you guys go ahead. I can't do this right now." He stood, shooting a look at Kurt. It was so hurt, so resentful, that Mike barely recognized it as belonging to Finn. "I don't want to get in your way, but I can't stay here and watch you -"

" _Finn."_  Kurt's voice was firm and commanding. It made Finn stop in his tracks, cringing a little, and his eyes widened in fear and surprise. Kurt held out a hand. "Come over here and sit down."

Finn hesitated, drawing away with a glare, but Kurt patiently repeated, "Finn. Stop that right now, and  _sit... down."_

Finn sat, hunching over and holding his own elbows. He was silent, but Mike could almost hear him saying  _You can't make me do anything._  Mike glanced between the two of them unhappily.

"Finn, look at me." Mike shifted a little so he could watch; Kurt didn't touch Finn, but Finn responded to Kurt by leaning a little closer to him. Mike wasn't even sure either of them noticed it. It was like they were magnets, always circling each other unconsciously anyway until the moment they connected.

"What?" Finn held Kurt's gaze, but he stayed curled in on himself. He sounded unbearably sullen. Mike tried to put a hand on his leg, but Finn shook his head, pulling away, and Mike dropped his hand. He felt sick.

"Finn." Kurt's voice was quiet, now, and it held a note of reproach that was even more distressing to Mike than his command had been. It was impossible for Mike to comprehend why he  _couldn't_  disappoint Kurt. He just  _couldn't._  But it seemed like Finn was resisting, and even Kurt's sigh wasn't making him respond. "You know better than that. Imagine what Mike must be feeling."

"Mike has everything he wants," Finn snapped. "You guys don't have to pretend to care about what I want. Just forget about me, and enjoy your connection." He gave Mike an apologetic glance. "Don't feel bad, Mike - you really don't have to waste time worrying about me."

"But-" Mike protested, and Finn shook his head.

"I told you, don't worry about me." Finn's voice had an odd, flat tone to it, and it was making Mike a little nervous.

"You're part of this, though," Mike insisted. "You're the whole reason why I started thinking about this in the first place. You were first."

Finn didn't even respond, so Mike turned his simmering nerves on Kurt. "Is he always so stubborn?"

Kurt's lip quirked up in a sad, not-quite smile. "Only when he's, well. When he feels certain things."

"Christ, you guys and your cryptic talking makes me crazy!" Mike stood, raking his hand through his hair and searching the room for something to wear. "Why can't you just freaking  _say_  what you mean? Because I have no clue at all what's going on here." He stepped into boxer briefs and stuck a blind hand into his dresser before pulling it back with shorts and a tank top.

"You just gave me the best orgasm of my life," he said to Kurt before turning to face Finn. "And you, god. Finn. I've been freaking halfway in love with you for years. How could you think that you don't matter at all?"

Finn jerked back in shock at Mike's words. "You... no, you're not," he stuttered. "Because, believe me, I know how it is, Mike. You want your Top, and you don't need me around to get in the way. Not when I -" He stopped, turning away, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment, then forcing them back open to glare at Kurt. "You were right, okay? And neither of you need to deal with my stupid feelings."

"Seriously?" Mike shrugged into his shirt and focused on not getting tangled in his shorts. "You guys are worse than girls. At least Tina talks to me." He dropped to his knees on the floor in front of Finn, figuring he'd give it one last try before leaving them both to deal with their drama without him around. "Finn. Your feelings aren't stupid. I may not know what they are, but they're not stupid."

Finn was shaking his head, clearly not listening, but Kurt put a hand on Mike's back and gave him an encouraging nudge. "Go on," he murmured, "hold him."

Mike pushed himself onto the bed and arranged himself as best he could around Finn. He guided Finn's head to rest against his chest, the same way both Finn and Kurt had been doing for weeks when Mike was freaking out about anything, and he let his hand hover over Finn's head for a moment before he figured  _what the hell_  and set to work sliding his fingers through Finn's hair. "Do you think my feelings are stupid? Because man, that was amazing. And I'm pretty sure you told me that I could f-f-um. Fuck you, later, unless I was hallucinating, which is a possibility. And I know I don't talk a lot, but Tina will tell you that I sometimes babble when I'm nervous, so you're either going to have to listen to me or tell me what's going on."

Mike felt Finn shaking under his hand, and this time it was Finn's cheek that left wet marks on Mike's clean t-shirt. Mike just used the hem to dry his face, and dared to kiss his cheek. Finn looked like he might pull away again, but Kurt just said  _"Finn,"_  sharply this time, and he sighed, resting his head on Mike's shoulder.

"Dammit," he whispered. "I didn't think this would happen - not again. Guess I should know better by now." He pulled back far enough to look Mike in the face. "Dude, I definitely don't think your feelings are stupid. And I'm really glad that was as good for you as it was for me, because... well, Kurt can tell you, I don't usually have that kind of a control problem anymore." He grinned sideways at Mike. "Kurt might also tell you I've been halfway in love with you for years, too, but... I guess it's more than halfway, now."

Mike's heart was thundering in his chest, and he was sure that Finn could feel it. "Really?" he asked, not wanting to say more mostly because he couldn't quite believe what he thought Finn was telling him.

Finn let out a shaky laugh. "Uh. Yeah. Kurt totally called it, too, but I said  _I'm not going to fall in love with Mike."_  His smile was loving, and just for Kurt. "You're way too smart, baby."

"I just know you, Finn. I've seen this before."

"Yeah." He sighed. "I guess I'm pretty predictable. But - Mike, you and Kurt, god, I never expected it to turn into - this. What you guys have. I've been there, with Carl. And it's incredible. I'm really glad for you, and I - I don't want to get in the way?" He hesitated, seeing Kurt's steady gaze, and took a deep breath before adding, "But you're telling me that I'm not in the way, huh?"

Mike shook his head. "Not at  _all_." He knew emotions were high, and he was still feeling a little giddy and buzzed from the sex, but he had to make sure Finn and Kurt understood him. "I- god. I don't even know how this happened, or what it's going to mean for anything, but I- I-" he broke off with a sigh, scared to continue but knowing that he didn't really have a choice. "I  _love_ you," he said, kissing the top of Finn's head. "Both of you."

Finn's breathing stopped for a moment, and when it continued, it was erratic. Mike felt the weight of his body as he sagged into his arms. "Really?" he said, sounding amazed. "God... Mike, you're sure?"

"I think you can be sure we're all feeling something," Kurt said quietly. He moved to stand behind Mike, with both hands on his shoulders, squeezing gently. "And none of us expected it, not like this." He bent down and kissed Mike's ear. "There are a lot more people involved, here, but there's one in particular I think you need to talk to. And I have... some words for Finn."

Mike watched Finn shrink back a little, but he looked a lot more calm than he had a few minutes before. Finn looked at Mike, there in his arms, and gave him one more tight hug. "Okay," he whispered, and reluctantly let him go. His smile was hopeful, and it made Mike's heart skip another beat to see it.

"Come on," Kurt said, reaching for Finn's hand, and this time he took it with no hesitation, letting Kurt pull him to his feet. Kurt was the only one without any clothes on, but his presence wasn't any less because of it. "Mike, we'll go find somewhere else to talk. Text me when you're ready for us to come back, all right?"

Mike nodded, not trusting his voice and knowing he needed to get himself together before he called Tina. He watched silently as Kurt gathered clothes and dressed, trying to sort through the feelings that were overwhelming him, but everything seemed to calm when Kurt put his arms around him and kissed him gently.

"You're amazing, sweetheart," Kurt said, and Mike felt the words reverberate through him, affecting him, changing him. It was as if Kurt's voice was  _making_  him amazing. "I'm so proud of you. And we're all going to be all right - together."

**0M0**

Mike walked the length of the room for a few minutes after Finn and Kurt left; he couldn't settle to call Tina, even though he knew he needed to. He could still feel Kurt's hands, his tongue, his  _cock_. Could still hear Finn's voice in his ear, could still smell them both, and it was all too much to handle. He finally shed his clean clothes and climbed back into the shower, using Kurt's shampoo and Finn's soap so that he felt the two of them there, with him. Then he took his phone and climbed into the pushed-together beds, curling deep under Kurt's duvet and dialing Tina's number with shaking hands.

"'lo?" Mike heard a  _thunk_  and Tina's soft voice whispering a string of curses. "Mike?"

"T?"  _Who else would it be, idiot_?

"Wh-what? What time is it?"

"You were sleeping. God, I'm sorry, I didn't- I wasn't sure- what time  _is_  it?" He pulled back the blinds, and was startled to see that it was dark, because it didn't feel like it had been long at all, since he'd left rehearsal with his hand in Finn's. They must have missed dinner. "It's late. I can call tomorrow."

He could hear Tina's sigh. "You wouldn't call now unless you needed to talk  _now._  What's going on, Mike?"

"Something h-happened." He took a deep, shaky breath. "I don't know- I mean, it wasn't like I thought it was going to be."

"Mike." Tina's voice was firm, much the way Kurt's had been, and Mike stopped, with a brand-new realization of just what that meant about the two of them. He took another breath. "Just tell me."

"We- we- um. We- it was different, and amazing, and I never thought-" he stammered, trying to grab onto anything to tell Tina. "I can still feel him," he finally got out. "We had sex, T, and I don't know what anything means anymore."

"You and Finn?" she said, sounding faint, and a little afraid.

"Kurt and me."

"Oh!" Tina gave a little laugh. "I thought for sure that Kurt would... um. Wow." Her voice dropped. "How was it? Are... are you all right? Did it  _hurt?_ "

"It hurt a little, at first, but it wasn't bad. Once I stopped being scared it felt really good, and Finn was holding me, and Kurt was really gentle. I'm -  _god_ , T. I think I'm okay, but I'm not sure." He pulled the blanket further up and bunched it around his shoulders and neck. He was inexplicably cold, and feeling a little shaky.

"Oh, baby," she whispered. "You're okay. I'm right here. Is - where's Kurt now? Is everything okay between the two of you? What about Finn?"

"Kurt said we're all okay, all of us together, but Finn was freaking out a little bit, so Kurt took him somewhere so they could talk, because they have lots of other people involved, and he wanted me to have privacy to talk with you..."

"Mike, you're babbling. I guess that should tell me something." He heard her moving around, and knew she was pacing whatever space she was in, because Tina always did that when she was nervous or worried. This actually made him feel a little better, because it was so familiar. "I figured it would happen eventually, from what Kurt told me yesterday, but... I was expecting maybe next week, or... okay." She made a decisive sigh. "Do you still love me?"

"What? Tina -  _yes._  Of course I do."

"Okay." She blew out a breath, and he could hear creaking and a light snap of wood against wood. "Sorry, I needed to come outside before I woke everyone. They're nice girls, in my cabin, but you and I don't need to become the best gossip to hit the senior division."

Mike laughed, thinking of Jared and his forwardness that afternoon. "I, um." He bit at his lower lip with his teeth. "I came out to someone today, told someone I was bi."

"Oh,  _Mike!"_  She made an abortive squeal. "Really? How did that feel?"

"It was okay. He asked, actually, because I mentioned you and he seemed surprised I had a girlfriend, because people have noticed, um. The way Kurt and Finn are, with me? And it was the first time anyone had asked, because I don't think the guys really care whether I label myself or not. But Jared asked, and I couldn't lie, T. So I told him, and I feel bad because I should have told you first, but I really didn't know for sure, until I had to say something . . ."

"No, baby, no, you're fine, it's okay," she soothed. He could almost feel her hands reaching for him through the phone, holding onto his. "I'm glad you told me, and I'm so proud of you for figuring that out. And... I guess that means you still want me, right? Even if you want them, too?"

"Of course I still want you, T. I love you, I think I'm always going to love you." Mike thought about something Kurt had said the other day, when he was talking about falling in love with someone new. "Kurt said- he said it's like, loving someone else doesn't change the way I feel about you, because love is different between different people. Not better or worse, or more or less important, just different."

"I think I understand that," she said slowly. "But that doesn't mean you have any control over your hormones. And, well. I may have had feelings for Artie, but that didn't mean I wanted him the way I want you, no matter what I thought I should feel. So... I just want to know, honestly, if you still want me. Like you did before we went away this summer."

Mike wished he could wrap Tina up in his arms and hold her, reassure her that everything was going to be okay. "Yes, baby. Yes, I still want you."

She laughed in relief. "That's really good to hear. Believe me, I miss you  _so_  much... and all these stories I've been hearing from you, and Kurt, they're not helping."

"What, have they been making you worry?"

"Not exactly worry." Her voice was teasing. "But keeping me up at night, just the same."

"Tina!" he exclaimed, feeling the heat on his cheeks, and she laughed harder.

"Hey, I told you what I think about  _two_  guys together, I can't  _imagine_  what three is like."

"And if one of the three guys is me?" He couldn't believe he was even teasing her about it, but it felt natural and comfortable, and like nothing had changed even though everything had changed, and he wanted to hold onto the moment as long as he could.

"You and two other guys, well. I think I would classify that as  _incendiary!_ " She laughed outright, then, but broke off suddenly. "Crap," she whispered. "I gotta go. If the counselor on patrol catches me, they could take my phone."

"I'll call you tomorrow, T. And - thanks. For everything. I -" He wanted to tell her, right then, all the things he was grateful for about her, how lucky he felt to be in a relationship with somebody who not only wanted him to be happy, but who wasn't afraid to let him be himself, no matter what the cost. But he knew he could never get all the words out before she had to go. "Just - thank you. I love you so much."

"I love you too, Mike," she said softly, the wood clacking and creaking again. "Goodnight."

He ended the call with Tina, and scrolled immediately to Kurt's number, which Kurt had programmed in the previous night.  _Done with T, things ok_ , he typed, and Kurt's reply was almost immediate.

_on our way._

Mike stayed there, burrowed under Kurt's duvet, his head on Finn's pillow, waiting. Waiting for his boyfriends to come back to him.

**0M0**

Kurt stood, staring at the neon display of the pop machine. "Do you think Mike likes orange?"

"I dunno, baby, but he's got to be just as hungry as us. I can't believe we missed dinner." Finn tucked his Dr. Pepper into the crook of his elbow and fished some crumpled bills out of the pocket of his shorts. Kurt frowned.

"You have a wallet, Finn," he said, pressing the button for his own Sprite and an orange for Mike before stepping sideways to peruse the snack machine.

"Oooh, they have Cool Ranch," Finn exclaimed, bouncing a little on his toes.

"No," Kurt said, feeding Finn's cash in and selecting a granola bar, a bag of Chex Mix, and something labelled as  _Pure Juice Snacks_. He was doubtful about both the pure and juice parts of that statement, but it was the closest thing to real food he could find, and they all needed calories. He was kind of surprised that Finn hadn't fallen over yet, either from the emotion of the evening's events or the energy left from the too-short and too-soft spanking Kurt had given him down in Darius' room. He knew it hadn't been enough, but it was all he could manage without tools, and Carl had said on the phone that he couldn't make it down until Saturday to take care of Finn.

Finn reached into the bottom of the machine and gathered the snacks, cradling them in his arms. "I feel bad, leaving Mike alone like that," he said, starting back up the hall to the room. Kurt had to scramble to keep up, because Finn was always going to be frustratingly tall.

"Tina will take care of him until we can get back. I needed to take care of you first." Finn was still trying to avoid his eyes, but he was a lot calmer, and hearing him admit how he felt, that was a good step. "You're not going to try to take off again, are you?"

"No." Finn hesitated, then added, sheepishly, "Sir."

"Good," Kurt said. "I know, we both have lots of feelings about this, and about Mike, but we need to be careful with him. This is all new, for him, and he trusts us."

"I know," Finn replied. "I'll try not to freak out again. I'm just a little... surprised, by Mike's feelings. I'm not sure I believe that he means what he's saying, you know? Because I remember how it was, at the beginning. With you." He brushed Kurt's hand with his knuckles. "All those feelings... it was confusing."

"I remember. But we're not fifteen anymore, Finn. And Mike . . . he's not one to rush into things. I don't think he'd say that, if it were untrue, and this is something he's been thinking about for a long time. It's not casual for him, any more than it's casual for us."

Finn's face split into a goofy smile. "Yeah. I think you're right."

It was clear from Finn's expression how  _he_  was feeling about Mike. Kurt wished he could throw himself into his own feelings with equal abandon, because, really, this summer experience with Mike was becoming unexpectedly, overwhelmingly intense, and it wasn't showing any signs of receding. There were ramifications, consequences, long-term effects he had to consider. Because  _he_ was the one in charge. He couldn't afford to let himself get carried away, not yet.

Finn was apparently thinking along the same lines - which wasn't a surprise, after all; he was good at considering the big picture - because he paused, shifting the bags of snacks in his hands. "We're going to have to talk to everybody. Holy shit, Kurt, what are we going to tell  _Puck?"_

"I don't know," Kurt admitted, moving a little closer to Finn. "We still don't know what Mike wants, or what Tina's going to decide about things after the summer. Do you know what you want to have happen?"

"I know what I  _think_  I want to have happen." They approached the door to their room and stopped just outside, making room for two girls to pass them through the hall. "But I think the best thing here is what we've been doing all along, for Mike to be the one to set the pace, and until I know that, I'm not sure if I can let myself -" He stopped, gazing at Kurt. "I think you know what I mean."

"Finn," Kurt said gently, touching his shoulder. "You  _let yourself_  over a week ago. I saw it. What Mike decides isn't going to change that for you. And I know you have trouble letting anyone else be in charge, but-"

"I'm not," Finn interrupted, just as softly. "Baby, I know I'm not in charge here. And yeah, it's hard, but... you're doing great. You can trust that. With me, as much as with Mike. Okay?"

It felt a little strange, to be coached by his own Top, when Finn clearly wasn't performing that role here. Kurt shook his head at the juxtaposition of his feelings about being the caretaker and needing to be cared for, and just said the thing he was most sure about. "I love you, Finn. With all my heart." He kissed him, once. "And I'm so glad to be doing this  _with_  you. Mike was right. It's the three of us in it together, here. We're making something new, all of us together."

Kurt almost didn't see Mike, when he opened the door, because he wasn't expecting Mike to be in the two single beds pushed together, and he certainly wasn't expecting Mike to be wrapped up in his duvet.

He sat gently on the edge of the bed. "Sweetheart, are you okay?"

"Think so," Mike said. He was shivering a little, but Kurt didn't think it was because of the air conditioning. He put his arms around the duvet, with Mike inside it, and held him close. He felt Mike's long sigh. "Thanks for coming back."

"Dude, it's our room," Finn said softly, putting his own arms around them both. "Even if it weren't, we wouldn't just not come back."

Mike didn't answer, but he put his head on Kurt's shoulder, sighing again, and when Finn kissed his cheek, he turned his head to catch the kiss on his lips instead. It took Finn by surprise, but he wasn't objecting to Mike's kiss.

Kurt smiled, watching them kiss gently. "You guys are pretty hot together," he said, running a finger along Finn's jaw. "I could watch you forever, but none of us have eaten since lunch."

"Oh, yeah," Finn said, pulling away and looking at the snacks he'd set on the bed. "I hope I didn't crush anything."

"You didn't have to-" Mike started to protest, but Kurt stilled him with a hand on his arm.

"Oh, yes, I did," Kurt insisted. "You need to eat, Mike. Please. Let me take care of this, even it's just with vending machine food."

They ate in silence for a few minutes, cellophane crackling and chips crunching. Kurt tried to stay as close to Mike as he would allow, but he kept pulling back into his own space, struggling with whatever demons were plaguing him. Finn was clearly  _not_  pulling away, but even that looked like it was so much work, it was exhausting Kurt just to watch him. Finally, he sighed.

"I think we're done tonight," he said. Mike looked startled, even a little panicked, and Kurt held up a hand. "No, we're all exhausted, and we're low on calories, and hopped up on adrenaline. We're not doing anything else together right now except rest and relax."

"Kurt," Mike said unhappily, and now he was reaching for him, clutching at his arm. "What about you?"

Kurt gave him what he hoped was a gentle smile, even though he was feeling so much turmoil inside. "This is about what's best for all of us, sweetheart. I can hold off until tomorrow."

"But I told you I would-" Mike pressed closer, his hands moving frantically to touch, and Kurt just acted on instinct: he grabbed at Mike's wrists and held them in his hands, using his fingers to put pressure on the insides. Mike stilled and looked at him in shock.

"We're waiting," Kurt said with as much conviction as he could muster. "It's okay. We're all okay."

"O-okay," Mike stammered. He didn't resist Kurt pulling his hands down into his lap, and when Kurt tried to tuck him under the duvet, he only gave a feeble protest. "I'm not dressed for bed."

Kurt gazed at him until he looked away. "You don't need to wear anything for bed, sweetheart. But if you feel like you need to, go on in the bathroom, and I'll be waiting to put you to bed when you get back."

Mike nodded, climbing out and grabbing a clean pair of boxers before heading into the bathroom, but he didn't look very happy about it. Kurt took Finn's hand after Mike disappeared and gave him a nudge toward the door.

"You should talk to him," Kurt said, keeping his voice low. "He's not hearing me quite right."

Finn nodded, gazing at the closed bathroom door. "I think I know what to do... thank you, baby." He knocked on the door, leaning in with a soft, "Mike? Can I come in?"

Kurt didn't even consider whether or not it was appropriate for him to listen in. This was  _Mike,_  and he wasn't going to miss any opportunity to give him what he needed. Right now, he needed to know what was upsetting him. After Finn followed Mike into the bathroom, Kurt pressed against the door. He could hear Finn clearly, and Mike's quieter responses.

"Hey, man," said Finn. "You need anything?"

"What did I  _do_?"Mike said. He sounded hurt. "I thought, Kurt was going to let me - we were going to - and then we didn't, because..."

"Because I was acting like a spoiled brat," Finn said wryly. "Yeah, sorry about that. But, Mike, you didn't do anything at all."

"But it feels like I did everything. Nothing's the same anymore, not with you or Kurt. Not with Tina. Not with me. Everything feels so different, now." Kurt could hear water running, and Mike's next words were garbled. "Wha thoubd I  _do_?"

Kurt tried to suppress a giggle as Finn laughed. "First, wait till you're done brushing because I can't under _stand_  you. Second, you need to remember that none of this started overnight, and nothing's going to get all figured out overnight, either."

"When did you get so sure? I thought you were the one freaking out a half hour ago."

There was a pause, and Kurt could only guess what Finn and Mike were doing, but he thought he had a pretty good idea. Finn's next words were almost too soft to hear. "That was before you told me how you felt. It's true, isn't it? You weren't making it up?"

"It's true," Mike said, just as softly. "I wouldn't lie about that. I wouldn't have done any of this if I didn't feel it." Everything went quiet for a moment, and Kurt held his breath. "It's not casual for me, either, Finn. I need you to know that, okay? I have no idea what this means for us back at home, or for me and Tina, but this is  _so_  not casual."

It was silent after that, and Kurt moved away from the bathroom door, leaving them to their moment of connection. He didn't feel the least bit bad about it, but Mike's words gave him a whole new set of worries. He'd have to check in with Tina again tomorrow, and they were all going to have to have a conversation. Maybe when Blaine came to visit, they could conference-call with Puck - if Mike could handle talking with _all_ the guys at once. Kurt shook his head, smiling. He could just hear his dad now: _"Do I already need to put an addition onto the Hudson-Hummel Home for Angsty Lovestruck Boys?"_

When Finn and Mike came out of the bathroom, Kurt was waiting for them in the center of the two beds. He'd layered a blanket on top to fill in the space between the mattresses, and he'd left his pajamas in the drawer. Mike gazed at Kurt, sitting there naked, and swallowed. Then he slipped his boxers off and climbed into bed next to Kurt, waiting for him to pull the duvet up to cover them both. Finn crawled in on the other side after turning off the light.

"That's it, sweetheart," Kurt said, feeling Mike's tense body begin to relax beside him. "Tonight, we'll sleep. And tomorrow... well. We still have one more week to figure things out. Don't worry." He tried to sound convincing, stroking Mike's hair as he settled in against Kurt with a sigh.

"I... I love you guys," Mike said softly into the dark. Kurt felt his heart stop momentarily.

"Love you, too, Mike," Finn replied, his voice low.

Kurt bit his lip. "Sleep now," he said again, and kissed Mike as tenderly as he could.


	6. July 2011, Week Four

**Chapter Six: July 2011 - Week Four**

Finn had to leave early after men's chorus to work on scenes with his harem of acting partners, so Kurt made sure to come pick up Mike so he wouldn't have to walk the gauntlet between class and lunch. It had gotten better for a while, but Mike and Finn had both relayed disturbing stories about other students harassing him. It had pissed Kurt off to the point that he'd gone to Toby about it, but Toby was surprisingly reluctant to do anything to stop it.

"Mike's dealing with this for the first time," he'd said. "On both fronts. He needs a chance to stand up for himself, sugar, or he's never going to believe he can handle it himself. You can't always be there to protect him."

 _Yes, I can,_  Kurt had thought stubbornly, but he hadn't said it. He'd just made a personal commitment to follow Mike around and make sure nobody messed with him. It was lucky he was there today, because he could hear them all the way down the hall, taunting him. Today, though, it wasn't about the dancing, or about Toby's supposed favoritism. They were going right for the heart of Mike's insecurity. Kurt realized his hands had curled into unconscious fists.

"Does your girlfriend know about your  _boyfriends?_ " The guy Kurt thought of as the ringleader was doggedly following Mike up the hall.

Kurt couldn't hear Mike's response, if there even  _was_  one. He hurried to catch up.

"Do your  _boyfriends_  know about your girlfriend?" another boy asked. "Did they pay you to do it, or something? I mean,  _three_ guys together? That's totally fucked up."

Mike stopped, then, and Kurt could see his hand clenched tight around the strap of his dance bag. "Don't-" Mike started to say, and the leader jumped in again.

"Oh, isn't that sweet? The baby gay defending his boyfriends." He stepped closer into Mike's space, and Kurt watched Mike flinch and clearly weigh his words.

"Seriously? You guys are worse than the girls in my glee club. First, I'm not gay, I'm bi. And what happens between me and my girlfriend isn't any of your business. Neither is what happens between Kurt, Finn, and me." Mike paused, and Kurt held his breath, scarcely able to predict what he was going to say next.

"As for three guys together, why do you care? It's not like it's hurting  _you._  What, are you afraid you'll run out of choices for dates on Friday night?"

The ringleader scowled. "I'm no faggot. Or half-faggot, or whatever. You guys, you all wreck it for the rest of us. Everybody thinks we're all gay anyway, just because we're in choir. Why do you have to make it  _worse_ by being so weird?"

Mike just stared at the kid, and Kurt moved fast, busting through the group and grabbing Mike by the elbow. "Hey, Finn can't meet us for lunch because of that rehearsal, and we need to go now, if we want to eat." He steered Mike away from everyone else, but kept talking loudly until they were around the corner. "Do you have rehearsal for the recital this afternoon?"

"You know I do," Mike said, but Kurt didn't let him finish. He clapped a hand over Mike's mouth.

"Shhh." He took Mike's hand, and moved quickly and quietly down the hall to the stairs. "There have to be some practice rooms that aren't being used." He racked his brain trying to think about the little things Toby had told him about B-W, and a story Laurie told him once after she'd had a little too much wine at dinner, about nearly getting caught making out with Andi in an empty practice room. "Where was it?" he muttered under his breath. "Second floor or third?"

Mike tried to tear his arm away, but Kurt held him fast. He looked like he was about to protest, until Kurt's expression took away his words. He could only follow Kurt up the stairs and down the hall to the closed door in the corner.

"What are we -" Mike asked, but Kurt stopped his mouth with a hard kiss that drove him up against the door. He didn't turn the lights on.

"Don't talk," Kurt said, his voice coming out harsh and tense. "Take your shorts off."

Mike stared at him in the dim light filtering around the edges of the door, and moved slowly, unzipping his shorts and letting them drop to the ground next to the piano. Kurt barely gave him time to step out of them before he was shoving his boxers down and forcing him against the piano. Mike stumbled, catching himself on the cover with a muted jangle of keys.

"Kurt," he protested, and cried out when Kurt reached around him to stroke his cock, already hard. His other hand dug determinedly into his messenger bag, because he'd learned long ago it paid to be prepared. The little bottle of lube didn't have an expiration date.

"They can't talk to you that way," Kurt said, snapping the bottle open with shaking fingers. "They can't, because you're  _my boy,_  and I won't let them, all right?" He pressed his hand, slick with lube, between Mike's ass cheeks, bending him over the piano and pulling his hips tight against his. Mike cried out again. "Do you hear me?"

"Y-yes," Mike said, his voice trembling. "Yes... sir."

Kurt slipped a hand around Mike's mouth, holding his head fast. "You can tell me to stop," he said, which might have seemed at odds with the way he was keeping Mike from speaking, but he was beyond reason here. This was nothing but pure need, driving his actions, and Mike seemed to understand, because he shook his head emphatically. He didn't need words to respond:  _don't stop, please, don't stop._

"That's my good boy," Kurt whispered, and Mike shuddered as Kurt entered him. Mike's noises were muted by Kurt's hand, but he wasn't going to get him to be silent, not today. He had better uses for his hands.

"God,  _Kurt,"_  he moaned, his voice coming out broken. Kurt slid both hands up to grasp his wrists and force them over his head, Mike's fingers splaying on top of the piano and his body going absolutely still.

"You're  _my_  boy," Kurt said hoarsely,  _"mine._  And I'm going to take what I need, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Mike said, and Kurt shuddered at the words.

"Mmmm," he hummed, nibbling lightly at the back of Mike's left shoulder. "That's my good, good boy. Such a fast learner, you make me so proud."

Kurt could feel Mike's defenses coming down with every word, every thrust, and when he dug his teeth into Mike's neck, Mike called out his name with a sob. Kurt clutched at him, holding him tight, feeling the energy coiling in his belly.

"You need this," Kurt said. "You need it as much as I do. Tell me."

"I- I-" Mike stammered, and shook his head. "I c-can't. I sh- _shouldn't-"_

" _Tell me_." Kurt felt Mike beginning to lose his grasp on his self-control. He impatiently shook the tears from his own eyes and dug his hands into Mike's wrists. "Tell. Me."

"Oh,  _god_. I  _need_  this." The words were like a trigger, and Kurt felt him stagger at the release, crying in earnest now.

"That's right," Kurt urged, still slowly thrusting into Mike. "Let go, baby, just like that. Let me take it."

Mike shook his head. "C-can't. Scared."

"No, Mike." Kurt couldn't really think, but he grabbed onto one thing he remembered about Mike and his dancing. "Push through it, baby, just  _give_  it to me." Christ, he was so close, but he had to hold off until Mike came. He bit down again on Mike's neck, thrust hard and deep. " _Give in_ ," he growled, low, into Mike's ear, and Mike just went limp, suspended between the piano and Kurt's own body, coming and crying, and it only took Kurt two heartbeats to finish himself.

"That's it, I've got you," he said, sliding slowly out of Mike and easing them both to the floor. He wrapped his arms around Mike, smoothed his hair and kissed his cheek. "That's exactly right, my beautiful boy."

But Mike wasn't stopping. His cries became more frantic as he collapsed into Kurt's lap. "Kurt... I don't know how I can go back to school after this - how can I go back and pretend everything's the same, when I know - when I've had -"

"Shhh," Kurt said, letting Mike's wrists go, and pulling his arms tight against his chest, holding him tight as he shook. "We'll figure it out. I'm not going anywhere, you hear me? You'll have this, when you need it." He pressed his lips to Mike's neck, smelling his scent, feeling his own sobs caught just in his throat, ready to burst out. But Mike was falling apart in his arms, and he couldn't indulge himself now. He had to be there for his boy.

"But I  _won't_ ," Mike insisted, grabbing at the security of Kurt's arms. "I won't have it - you'll be home with your family and I'll be - nobody would let me be there, nobody's going to understand -" His words were lost in his fear and despair. Kurt turned him around, let him bury his head into Kurt's chest, holding him the way Finn had always held him when he needed to let go, the way he'd held Puck and Blaine, when they'd needed it. He gazed down at Mike, feeling the  _rightness_  of holding him like this, but afraid he might have gone too far.  _What do I do now?_  came the question, and the answer followed quickly after.  _Finn. Finn will know what to do._

Kurt dug his phone out of his bag, still holding Mike with his other arm, and fired off a quick text, hoping desperately that Finn had his phone with him, and that he'd get the message.  _Mike is falling apart. He needs you. I need you too. Second floor practice room at the end._

Kurt kept on, rubbing one hand up and down Mike's back and whispering what he hoped were reassuring words into Mike's ear until his phone buzzed over five minutes later.  _on my way. I owe Delia a rehearsal later._

Kurt couldn't help himself, he had to smirk because he was pretty sure all Delia really wanted was an excuse to grill Finn further about what went on in their room every night.

"Finn is on his way, sweetheart," he said, and Mike mumbled  _m'kay_  into Kurt's chest. He didn't really want to move Mike out of his lap, but it would be worse to be discovered in the empty practice room with no shorts on, so he helped Mike get dressed, sacrificing his handkerchief in the interests of cleaning up the worst of the mess from their frenzied coupling. Mike just sort of stood there, watching while Kurt helped him into his shorts and zipped him back up. He looked so lost, and so unbelievably beautiful. Kurt stepped in front of him, put both hands on either side of Mike's jaw and held his gaze.

"Did -" Mike turned scarlet and swallowed on the words that stuck in his throat. "Did we really just... do that?"

Kurt tried not to give into the fear that struck him, hearing the horror and self-doubt creeping into Mike's voice. He stepped in, hugging him tight. "We did. And there's nothing wrong with wanting that, baby. I know it can feel scary, believe me, I remember. But there's nothing wrong with you." He took a deep breath, letting the exhale calm Mike's rapid heartbeat. "Or me. We're fine."

"Yeah?" Mike sounded unsure.

"Oh, yes." Kurt kept breathing, and he felt Mike relax a little more. "It's hard, sometimes, to hold onto that when you get overwhelmed or when things feel complicated, but believe me when I tell you that everything is okay. Finn and I aren't going anywhere, sweetheart."

The doorknob rattled, and Finn's anxious face appeared from behind the door, flooding the room with light from the hallway. He paused long enough for his eyes to adjust, then stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "I brought you some water," he said quietly, holding it out for Kurt.

"Thanks." Kurt took the water, and took a small sip before holding it out to Mike, who shook his head. Kurt just waited, the bottle outstretched, until Mike sighed and took it, drinking a little, and then a little more.

Finn stepped in behind Mike, putting a hand on his shoulder, and Kurt watched Mike relax a little more at his touch. Finn glanced at Kurt, a question on his face, but he didn't say anything for a few moments. He just slid his arms around the two of them, holding them, swaying a little, like they were dancing.

"You guys..." Finn paused, watching Kurt's face. "Something happened. Are you... is he okay with it?"

Mike shifted with a sigh. "I'm right here. You can just ask me."

Finn smothered a chuckle. "Sorry. Puck and Blaine both are usually pretty out of it for a little while, after. I didn't- I didn't mean to act like you couldn't answer for yourself. So... are you okay?"

"No," he whispered. "Not - not okay." He clutched for Finn's hand. "But not sorry, either."

"Talk to me, baby. Tell me what's going on in your head." Finn's voice was so tender, it made Kurt want to just collapse against him and cry, but he couldn't. He had to be strong for Mike, but he also knew that he needed to let Finn and Mike talk about everything. Kurt tugged on Mike a little, his arms around him, and drew him down to sit on the floor. Finn joined them, opening a second bottle of water.

"I've been watching you guys for so long," Mike said haltingly, his voice still blurred with tears. "Starting with that night Puck came home from Santa Fe. The three of you, in Mercedes' yard, in the snow. It was too much for me, then. I couldn't understand what it was making me feel, to see you like that."

"You'd never seen boys together, like that." Finn set his hand on Mike's knee. "That must have been really intense for you."

"I didn't know exactly what I was feeling, but... Tina saw something. She was there, too, and... I think that might have been the minute I started loving her. We'd known each other all our lives, and I didn't realize how amazing she was until right then." He turned to Kurt. "When you and Puck came out, I was kind of pissed at you. Because - what about Finn? Why couldn't he have that, too? I didn't get why you were hiding." He swallowed. "I think I get it now, though."

"It's never easy," Finn said softly, "not knowing who you can trust to keep the secret. Sometimes it's better not to say anything at all."

"Yeah. Exactly. You, the three of you...  _all_ of you." Mike shook his head. "I  _can't_  have that. My parents - they'd go ballistic. I don't think they would ever understand it. And what we - what we just did, Kurt... if they  _ever_ found out..."

"We know," Finn said in a grim tone. "We've seen it happen, with Puck and his Ma, and Blaine's father. And - Puck's dad." He hesitated, looking at Kurt. "Should I tell him?"

Kurt considered Mike, resting against the crook of his arm, shaken, but not broken. He nodded slowly. "I think he needs to hear it."

Finn nodded. "Mike... when Puck was in juvie. It - that wasn't really where he was. It was just a cover. At first, we didn't  _know_  where he was _,_ and later... he didn't want anyone finding out what his dad did."

"What... did his dad do?" asked Mike. He looked horrified already. "What would be worse than going to juvie?"

Finn closed his eyes, and Kurt knew he was reliving that semester, when Blaine was hurting and alone, and Puck had disappeared. Kurt knew, too, that it hadn't been any easier for him, especially with his dad in the hospital. But none of them had been under more stress than Finn, struggling to take care of everything, in the midst of pretending at school that  _nothing_  was wrong.

"He took Puck away. To a... a place. A clinic, where they try to change you." He winced. "To make you stop... liking sex with guys."

"Oh, my god," Mike whispered, his eyes wide and shocked. "You're serious? I didn't think those places really existed."

Kurt sighed, heavy and sad. "They do exist. I'd heard about them for years, but I never knew anyone who'd been sent to one." He closed his eyes, thought about the kids he'd met in chat rooms before he'd come out, how everyone was always scared of being sent away, whether to one of those places or onto the streets. "But I think it's something lots of kids worry about."

"It was a long time before he could be with us again, the way he'd been." Finn gazed down at the floor, holding Mike's hand. "Lauren helped him, but it took... a lot of time. He's still dealing with it. We all are, him and Blaine especially." He smiled sadly. "Sorry. I guess this isn't helping much."

"No," Mike insisted. "It is. You guys, trusting me with that... it helps." He slid an arm around Finn's shoulder. "Makes me feel like I'm part of this, even in just a little way."

"You  _are_  a part of this," Finn said. "I know there's a lot to figure out, once we get home, but you're a part of us now, and that's not going to change."

Mike's face split in a sudden, shy smile, and Kurt watched Finn grin back helplessly.  _He's so gone,_  thought Kurt.  _It's the way Finn loves._

"I just can't believe it," he said. "But I'll try to trust you anyway."

**0M0**

Tina sat with her mom on the front porch, waiting for Blaine to pick her up. It was a two and a half hour drive, but she somehow thought she and Blaine wouldn't have any trouble finding plenty to talk about.

"Are you excited to see Mike?" Her mom sipped her coffee, and reached over to tuck a strand of purple hair behind Tina's ear. "I like the purple better than the pink."

"I like it better, too. And yes, I'm excited to see Mike." Excited and nervous, but Tina wasn't sure how to communicate that to her mom without giving away too much information.

"Has he been having a good summer?"

"He's been dancing a lot, so that's been really good for him. And singing, a little."

"Has he . . . did he meet anyone, there?" Her mother was always so gentle, when she asked things, and Tina sometimes just wished that she'd come right out and say what she really meant.

"Wh-what? How do you- um." Tina stammered, and felt her face turn red, and her mother laughed.  _Laughed_! "Mom!"

"Oh, honey. I'm not blind. Mike is a lovely boy, and I know you love each other, but I did grow up with Uncle Alan. I know how to spot a boy who likes boys."

"Mike's not gay," Tina muttered. "But yes, he met . . . someone. It's more complicated than I can explain."

"You know I've never asked you to tell me details, Tina. It's your life." She smiled, resting her chin on her knees. "But you can talk to me, if you want to. I love Mike, too."

"I know, Mom." Tina leaned close, resting against the curve of her mother's body the way she had when she was a little girl. "Thank you. I think- when Mike gets home, he might need a lot of support."

"He always has a home here with us," her mother said, and Tina sighed.

"I don't tell you enough," she said, turning so she didn't get her mother's hair stuck in her lip gloss, "but I'm really lucky to have you as my mom."

"Oh, sweetie." Tina looked away as Blaine's car squeaked to a stop at the curb. "I'm lucky to have you as my daughter. Have a great time, and give Mike a hug and a kiss for me."

Tina hugged her mother, and was still in the process of standing when Blaine made it up the walk, a hand held out for her backpack. "Hi, T," he smiled, and leaned in for a hug. "Mrs. Cohen-Chang. We should hit the road, if we're going to make it in time."

"Have fun," Tina's mother called from the steps as Tina followed Blaine down the walk.

"Why the hurry?" she asked Blaine when he opened the car door for her. "The show isn't until tonight, and it's only a few hours to get there."

"Because," Blaine said, leaning on the doorframe. "You need time with Mike, and I need . . ." He trailed off, his eyes going a little clouded. "Well. I need  _lots_  of things, but I'm not going to get them all today, so."

Tina buckled her seatbelt and settled her backpack at her feet. "Yeah, about that. I have a  _lot_  of questions."

"Not before I have coffee, you don't. And it's a road trip, so we have to get donuts." Blaine flipped his sunglasses back over his eyes and closed her door before crossing in front of the car to climb into the driver's seat. "And if you listen to Kurt, no donuts-and-coffee run is complete without a little Mother Monster." He tapped his iPod and flooded the car with "Bad Kids". "I promise," he said, looking weary as he pulled into the street, "I'll answer all your questions. Just- not yet."

"You seem to know I'll have a lot of them," she said, stretching her legs and leaning back with a sigh. "So you must have heard something about what's going on with - everybody." She eyed him, hesitating. "Are you - is this okay with you?"

Blaine shrugged. "I had a lot of questions, too, in the beginning, and I had a lot of people who helped me figure stuff out. And yes, I know pretty much everything. Well, as much as the guys can tell me without betraying confidences, but we're pretty good at the honesty thing."

"Mike and I are good at it, too," she said, nodding. "He doesn't always say much, but when he does, he tends to make it count. And I don't think he would mind me talking to you, because... well, because you're part of the family."

Blaine signaled to turn into Pat's. "You know everything, don't you? The real truth?"

"As opposed to?" Tina fumbled in her pocket for the twenty her mom had shoved at her in the kitchen,  _buy lunch for the two of you, or something_  drifting across the table while Tina poked at her cereal.

"The story we've been telling everyone so my father doesn't- so I don't- so it's not like the fucking  _fall_  all over again."

She saw the tightness in Blaine's face, the tension he was holding onto, and she felt a pang of sympathy for him. "I think so," she said. "Kurt told me - a lot. He brought me to his house, before the summer, when I told him about Mike. He showed me your room." She paused, then added, "And later, about... the other stuff. About them taking care of you."

"I think we should get a dozen, don't you? We can share with everyone, when we get there." Blaine flicked his eyes at her, and shook his head slightly, almost like he was trying to tell her something, but Tina had no idea what.  _Later_ , maybe, or  _I can't, not yet_. Or the thing Tina feared most,  _I don't have any more words for this than you do_. Regardless, she stuck to discussions about donuts until they got back into the car.

She set the box of donuts on the back seat and the two coffees in the cupholders, then turned to him as she buckled back in. "Look, you're the only one I've talked to about this, except for Kurt. I - I need you to be straight with me. Mike's been gone for almost a whole month and talking on the phone, that's not nearly enough when I know he's going through so much. I need to know."

Blaine sighed, and he sounded frustrated.  _With me, or with himself_? Tina wondered.

"I'm just not used to being the one answering these kinds of questions," Blaine finally said. "I don't even know if I can, but I'll try. And if I can't, then I'll hand you off to Kurt when we get there and he can do it, and Finn-" He shivered, and Tina just stared at him.

"What was  _that?_ " she demanded. He gazed at her with hollow eyes.

"That is me, when I've gone too long without getting what I need."

"What -" She stopped, licking her lips. "Okay. Maybe we should start at the beginning."

Blaine shifted into gear and backed the car out of the lot. "If you're sure you really want to know," he said. "I mean, what we do? It's not something that happens in your usual high school relationship."

Tina snorted. "I think those guys kicked usual out the window back when the three of them got together in the first place. Just tell me, Blaine."

"Okay." Blaine merged onto the highway and took a deep breath. "How much do you know about Dominance and submission?"

Tina's imagination was pretty fertile, and she thought she was pretty well educated about a lot of things, but on this subject, her understanding was hazy. "Um... is that like BDSM? Handcuffs, leather, that sort of thing?"

Blaine smiled faintly, like there were lots of good things pouring through his brain. "That's part of it. I like those parts of it. But for me, it's about giving control to somebody else. Letting them take care of me. It isn't even always about sex." He shook his head. "It wasn't about sex for a long time, actually. Not when- not when Finn and I first started."

She shook her head, amazed. "Kurt said that you and Finn, you knew each other way back last spring, before you and Kurt even met. And Puck, before that. How was that possible?"

"Puck and I met down in Dayton at this club, Masque? But it was just a one time thing. Finn and I met last January in Columbus, at an open mic at a coffeehouse. I had no idea there was any connection between the two of them at the time. I was pretty messed up, then." He shrugged. "Still am, most days. But Finn saw  _. . . something . ._  . in me, and thought he could help."

"Help how?" Tina ran a dozen scenarios over in her head, but she hadn't quite been expecting what Blaine finally said.

"By spanking me." His voice gave nothing away, but there was color high on his cheeks.

"Really? And does it? Help you?" She figured she should have been shocked, but it kind of made sense.

"Yeah. It does. I need it, and Finn- he needs to give me that."

"How does it . . . I mean, what does it  _feel_  like?" Tina blurted out, and Blaine smiled shyly at her.

"Curious, huh?" He raised an eyebrow in question.

"Um. Yes?" She felt like she was prying, but Blaine seemed willing to talk and she just needed to understand as much as she could..

"It's all about energy," he said, and ran a nervous hand through his hair. Tina thought he might have used a little less gel today than usual. "Like a give and take. The spanking balances me, but it's also a way to give Finn that control over me. It takes me out of myself, and when I give up to him I feel like I'm brand-new again."

Tina thought about that for a while. "I've heard about people doing that, but I always thought it was about sex. Like, it was a turn-on."

"Oh, it is," he assured her earnestly. "Now it really is. But in the beginning, at least with Finn and me, it was just about me letting go. I didn't even recognize it as sexual, at first."

"I think I see how it could be, though," she said. "Hurts so good and all that. I mean, I haven't - done anything like that. But I think I get it."

"It's not just the pain, though," Blaine said. "It's a way to connect, to get past all the  _crap_. When I'm- um. When I'm down in subspace, it's like I'm the most real I've ever been. And I trust Finn, or Kurt, or Puck, to take care of me when I can't take care of myself."

"Wow." Tina gazed across the dashboard at the oncoming traffic. She felt almost jealous, hearing him describe it like that. Which was crazy, being jealous of somebody being spanked. "That sounds kind of... amazing."

"It is," he said. "But it's different, for everyone, and different with different people. Puck and I, that's pretty much  _all_  about sex, and it's been like that from the very beginning. With Finn it's really intense, and sometimes I can get halfway down just by the way he talks to me. But with Kurt, it's more like . . .  _romance_ , you know? I mean, he takes care of me in his own way, and he's got this crazy protective streak, and he's gay like I'm gay-"

"Wait." Tina held up a hand and giggled. "I thought all of you were gay."

"I'm pretty sure at least Puck's bi, and Finn's with Rachel, but that's kind of not the point. There's having sex with guys gay, and then there's the other stuff. Kurt calls it  _culturally gay_? Fashion and theater and music and all those "gay things" that he and I both like. So we get to be  _gay_  with each other, and there's the romance. And when he came to Dalton I was pretty fucked up, so it's taken us a long time to get, well,  _here_."

"And now you're here." She looked at him, trying to see all the things he was telling her about himself, with words and without. "What... are you guys going to do this year? Now that Kurt's back at McKinley..."

"Finn's the only one who knows, but I'm going to transfer. I can't- my dad-" he turned his head slightly to look out his window. "It's time for me to come home and live with my mom full time."

"You're coming to McKinley? I didn't even know you were from Lima!" Tina was starting to feel like everyone in her orbit was keeping secrets.

"Lima Heights, at least until my parents divorced. Did you know," he said, turning back to look at her, "that Santana and I were friends, when we were kids?"

"Huh. I didn't know, but she and I didn't meet until high school anyway. So, if you hadn't gone to Dalton, you'd have been in school with us?"

Blaine shook his head. "I went to Catholic, freshman year, but it wasn't a good place for me." He took another deep breath. "People don't realize, how much worse things could have been with D- with Karofsky. When I was 14 I went to the Sadie Hawkins dance with another boy, and we had the living crap beat out of us outside the gym."

Tina shivered. "Dalton was better for you, then. And it seemed to help Kurt, too. He's more confident than he was before. But maybe . . ." She bit at her lip and thought about how she wanted to phrase her next words. "Maybe it's taking care of  _you_ , that's helped him most of all?"

Blaine shrugged. "I honestly don't know. All I do know is that when I'm with him, I feel like he loves me with his whole heart, and I never have to pretend or hide or be ashamed about anything."

Tina thought about what Kurt had said to her about Mike.  _It's a lot less about the sex, and a lot more about... taking care of him. I think I know what Mike needs, and... giving him that, or making sure he gets it... that's what I need._  "Kurt's a generous person," she said. "I can't imagine him wanting you to be anything or anyone other than who you are."

Blaine smiled at her. "Or Mike," he said. "He'll take care of him, too."

She didn't smile back. "I think he will. I think...  _god,_  Blaine. I'm just freaking out a little that Mike's getting something from Kurt and Finn that I can't give him, and he might - that we might not -"

Blaine held his hand out to her, and she grasped it, hard. "You gave him such a generous gift when you told him it was okay for him to figure this part of himself out," he said, and she could tell that his words were genuine. "I think- there are probably lots of layers to what Mike has learned this summer. At least, there were for me. But he's still holding on, with you. Clearly he still wants you, still loves you. Just keep trusting that, until you have a reason not to, okay?"

She closed her eyes, feeling the tears, and decided not to cry about it again. "I do know he loves me," she said. "And - I know, somehow, I  _can_  give him what he needs. I just don't know if  _he_  knows that."

"Then you have to figure out what your own limits are, and let him know. We'll all help, if you want. When I was just learning about everything, my friend Jeff gave me some really interesting books . . ."

 _Oh, my god_ , Tina thought, still holding tight to Blaine's hand over the gearshift.  _Welcome to my new reality._

**0M0**

Finn and Mike were both bundles of nerves all the next morning. By lunch Kurt was ready to just lock them in the room with instructions to fuck until they were ready to act like sane, rational people. But Toby had things for Mike to do before his call for warm-ups and costume and make-up, and Finn had a last-minute rehearsal with one of his scene partners before the theater department's festival the next morning, so Kurt was left alone to pace the stretch of sidewalk at the visitor's lot waiting for Tina and Blaine to arrive.

He'd given Blaine a heads up that Tina was probably going to want to talk on the drive up; he was almost more nervous about  _that_  than he was about Tina and Blaine being there, because if Tina wasn't going to be able to deal with the realities of their relationship, it was going to be a hard return to Lima, for Mike  _and_  for them.

He finally gave up on pacing, and was sitting carefully on the wooden beam of the fence when Blaine's car squeaked into the parking lot. Tina was halfway out the door before Blaine had even turned the engine off, and when she threw herself into his arms she whispered loudly in his ear.

"You haven't spanked my boyfriend, have you?"

Kurt spluttered. "Oh,  _god_ , did he really only talk about spanking?"

"No," Tina said, pulling away but keeping her voice low. "So. Did you?"

Kurt shook his head and fixed her with an evil grin. "I didn't. Why? Do  _you_  want to do it the first time?"

"Kurt!" Tina smacked him playfully on the arm, but he saw her blush, and her next words were an odd mixture of confident and uncertain. "Maybe?"

"I think- I think Mike might like that?" Kurt wished he could be more sure, himself, but they still hadn't really broached the subject with Mike, and he had no idea how far Mike was going to want to go with them, or with Tina.

Kurt could feel Blaine, hanging back, and all Kurt wanted to do was go back to the room and lose himself in Blaine's lips and hands for a while, but he wasn't going to abandon Tina. Instead, he lifted his arm and sighed happily as Blaine tucked himself into the crook of Kurt's arm.

"Baby," Kurt said, leaning in and kissing Blaine softly. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too," Blaine said, but Kurt could feel him vibrating with tension.  _That_  was something Blaine needed Finn for.

Kurt did his best, though. He flattened his hand at the base of Blaine's spine and breathed slowly, and felt Blaine work to even his own breathing. "He's at rehearsal, but he'll be back at the room soon. I know, baby. Just hold on a little longer."

Blaine blinked at him, and Kurt could see he was already one foot into subspace, the way he often got just thinking about getting what he needed from Finn. "C'mon," Kurt tugged on Blaine's sleeve and nodded at Tina. "Toby's going to let you and Mike have his room tonight, but we're going to meet Finn back at our room. Then, you and I can talk while Finn and Blaine have some time together. Toby's got Mike busy all day. I guess it's good, because he's really nervous about his solo, even though he won't admit it."

"Kurt." Tina put her hand on his arm. Kurt stopped and blinked at her. "Stop babbling. Everything's going to be fine, okay?"

 _How can you be so sure?_  Kurt wanted to ask, but he knew that was just the brat in him, wanting to whine, and Tina didn't need to deal with  _that._ So he just said, "Okay," and kept walking, leading Blaine and Tina to the dorm and up to the room. Delia was waiting for the elevator when it opened on the third floor.

"Kurt," she nodded at him, and he watched her taking in Tina and Blaine. "Orgy in your room tonight?"

"Oh, holy  _Christ_ , Delia. This is Mike's girlfriend, Tina, and my boyfriend Blaine."

She smirked. "Like I said. Orgy in your room."

"If there is, you're not invited," he snapped. Blaine looked at him in astonishment as Kurt tugged him past Delia into the hallway.

"What was that all about?" Blaine said, grinning. "You didn't tell me you guys were out to the whole camp."

"We're not," Kurt said. "I mean, not the whole camp. But there might have been drinking games, and I might have lost my filter, and the way the gossip travels here leaves Jacob ben Israel in the dust. So there's not a lot in the way of confirmation of anything out there, but everyone assumes that we're all sleeping together."

"But . . . you  _are_." Blaine replied, looking puzzled. "So why were you bitchy at that girl?"

"Ah," Kurt said. "Yes. Delia. Well. Let's just say that she lacks limits, and she also knows about the other things we do, and she likes to poke at us because of it."

"You guys never tell anyone about that. How did she . . ."

Kurt held up his hand. "Drinking games. Lack of filters. It was so very, very bad."

Tina was giggling as she followed them down the hall. When Kurt opened the door to the room, he watched her focus on the messy pile of blankets on the three beds, pushed together in the corner. She paused a moment, but it didn't seem to faze her.

And then Kurt couldn't stand it anymore, and he and Blaine were kissing, their hands in one another's hair. Kurt didn't bother to restrain himself; Tina had seen two boys together before, and he knew she wasn't going to be offended by it. And  _god,_  he had missed Blaine.

"Baby," he whispered into Blaine's ear, feeling his quivering escalate. "You need something. I'm going to take care of it until Finn gets here, okay?"

"Okay," Blaine said, leaning into Kurt. "I thought I could wait for Finn, but- but- it's been  _so_  long."

He paused, giving Tina a meaningful glance. She looked confused, shaking her head, and Kurt decided he had to trust her. He turned back to Blaine, nuzzling his neck. "Did you bring your collar?"

"Yes, sir." Blaine's expression was trusting, even with Tina there, gaping at them.

"Such a good boy," Kurt praised, and smiled at Blaine's grateful reaction. "Go on and get it out of your bag and bring it back to me."

Tina was no longer looking confused. Now she was completely stunned. "He - he has a  _collar?_ " She dropped her voice, frowning at Kurt. "Isn't that a little demeaning?"

"No," Kurt said, keeping his eyes on Blaine as he handed Kurt his collar and set to work loosening his bow tie and unbuttoning his shirt. "It's a symbol to Blaine, that he belongs to Finn. It helps him remember that Finn will take care of him, that he's safe to let go with Finn."

He waited until Blaine was standing before him, head bowed and ready, before sliding the leather around Blaine's neck and fastening it with trembling hands; he'd only done this with Blaine a few times, and it still made him a little nervous. Blaine sighed, and Kurt felt some of the tension leave his body.

"He looks . . . different," Tina observed.

"He needs this," Kurt said, and his hands were  _aching_  to just touch Blaine, to breathe him and learn him again. Even after he'd left Dalton, he and Blaine had still seen each other more days a week than they hadn't, and the month apart had been harder than he'd wanted to admit.

"Do you- um." Tina was silent for a moment, watching Blaine, a little line appearing on her forehead as she wrestled with this. Finally, she asked, "Do you think Mike needs this?"

"I don't know if Mike needs this, exactly, but I do think that he needs some kind of situation like this." Kurt shrugged, and thought of Finn's words, at the very beginning. "People seem to have tendencies one way or another, and Mike, like Blaine, tends toward submission."

"What about you?" Tina asked, but Kurt held up a hand to stop her.

He tipped Blaine's head up, so they were eye to eye. "Did you bring cuffs, baby?"

"Yes, sir." Blaine's voice was soft.

"Go get them and bring them to me." Blaine moved swiftly, retrieving the cuffs and bringing them to Kurt. "Good boy. Come on, over here." Kurt nodded in approval at Blaine's gratitude, then led him to the bed and waited for him to sit and present his wrists.

"What do the cuffs do?" Tina asked in a whisper.

Kurt unbuttoned Blaine's shirt the rest of the way and slid it off his arms, trailed his fingers down the planes of Blaine's chest. "So beautiful," he whispered to Blaine. "Such a good boy. Finn is going to be so pleased."

He took one of the cuffs and worked swiftly to fasten the leather around Blaine's right wrist. "They're like the collar. Functional, to restrain him, and make him feel safe. He needs to know they're secure." He tugged on the carabiner that attached to the O-ring on the side of one cuff, smiling as Blaine let out a soft sigh of contentment. "And symbolic, because he belongs to Finn."

"Wow," Tina said, and when Kurt turned to look at her, he saw that she'd wrapped her arms around herself. He paused in preparing Blaine and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"I think so?" she answered, sounding shaky. "It's just... really intense."

Kurt flicked his eyes between her and Blaine. Blaine was clear-eyed and breathing calmly, but Tina was trembling and pale. He held Blaine's gaze for a moment. "You're such a good boy, Blaine. You're doing just fine. Wait right here for me, and I'll be back for you."

"Yes, sir," Blaine said with a slow smile. Kurt rose from the bed and grabbed a blanket. He wrapped it around Tina's shoulders and pulled her close for a hug.

"It's okay, if you need to leave," he said into her hair.

She took a shuddery breath, but shook her head against his shoulder. "No," she finally said. "I think- I think I  _need_  to see. If this turns out to be something Mike needs, I want to know about it."

"Okay," Kurt answered, pulling away and holding her shoulders. "I'm going to go get you something to drink, and I think you should sit down before you fall over."

"I'm not going to faint," she protested, but Kurt steered her to the lone chair in the room anyway.

"I'd rather you be safe. The energy . . . it can affect you in weird ways, even if you're not participating." He looked back at Blaine, and felt a pang of longing for what he knew was going to happen when Finn got back to the room. "I can't- um." He ran a hand through his hair. "I've got Blaine ready, but Finn's going to be the one to take care of him. Just- let me take care of  _you_ , okay?"

"Okay," Tina nodded. Her gaze was insightful. "You- you  _need_  to do this, don't you? Not just with me, or with Blaine. You- you need it with Mike, too."

Kurt nodded back. "It gives me something, to take care of him." He hesitated, then added, "But  _I_ need... what Mike and Blaine need, too. From Finn."

"I thought, maybe, it was like that." She tugged the edges of the blanket tighter around her body. "I don't know if I could let anybody do that to me."

"If it was the right person," Kurt said, "you could. Even Finn gets it from someone. He didn't think he wanted it, either, but when it felt right, we all could see it."

Tina nodded slowly, her eyes on Blaine's still form, kneeling on the floor across the room. "I have to think about this. And then Mike and I, we'll talk. Okay?"

"Of course," Kurt said, fishing in his pocket for the bills he'd shoved in there. "Coke or Sprite?"

"Coke, please," Tina said, and Kurt was reaching for the doorknob when the door flew open.

"Finn!" Kurt said, and Blaine stirred at the mention of his name.

"Hey, I saw Delia outside and she said-" Finn skidded to a stop three feet into the room before his body went completely still. " _Oh_." His eyes were locked on Blaine, collared and cuffed and already well down in subspace. Finn dropped his backpack and sunk to his knees next to the bed, put his hands on either side of Blaine's radiant face and kissed him deeply.

"Baby," Finn whispered, barely moving away from Blaine. "Oh, my boy." He managed to turn his head to glance at Kurt, and his eyes were full of tears. "You took care of him, got him ready for me. God, Kurt.  _Thank_  you."

"It was my pleasure," Kurt said, and he felt proud of himself for being able to do that, for Finn  _and_ for Blaine.

Finn beckoned Kurt over, and he took Kurt's hand and squeezed it. "You're incredible," he said, "and I'm so freaking happy you did this for us. Are you okay?"

"Yes," Kurt nodded. "I'm going to take Tina and show her around. We'll meet you for dinner before the recital?"

"Yeah," Finn said, but he was already distracted, his fingers playing over the cuffs on Blaine's wrists.

Kurt stepped away, and motioned for Tina to follow him into the hall. He closed the door gently behind them, and was startled to hear Tina sniffling.

"Hey," he said gently. "Tell me, what's going on?"

Tina swiped at her cheeks. "That was - I didn't know it was going to be like  _that."_

Kurt felt a quiver of unease. "Like what?"

Tina smiled through her tears. "Is it - is it always so beautiful?"

"It's always different, but it all comes from a place of love." It was the best Kurt could do, because he didn't know how to explain what it was like when the need was driving him, when he felt out of control with it. Even when he'd had Mike up against the piano, his every thought had been for Mike. It hadn't exactly felt  _gentle,_  but it had definitely been positive - and he hadn't had a shred of doubt that he'd been giving Mike exactly what he needed.

She nodded, sniffing. "I thought it would be scary, but - it's not, is it? It's  _good."_

Kurt pulled his handkerchief out of his back pocket and handed it to Tina. "Yes, it's good. Here, dry your tears and we'll go get that soda. And then you can ask me whatever you want."

Tina dabbed at her eyes and gave the soft, monogrammed square of fabric back to Kurt. "I don't know if I have questions as much as things to talk about."

Kurt thought about the way she'd reacted to seeing Blaine collared and cuffed.  _I bet you do_ , he thought with a soft smile, and he followed Tina up the hall.  _This web is about to get so much more complicated_.

**0M0**

Kurt settled into his seat in the auditorium, experiencing a mild case of déjà vu. "I can't help but get the sense we're back at sectionals, sophomore year," he murmured to Finn, "and the girls from Jane Addams Academy are about to poach our songs from us."

Finn laughed, his hand firmly in Blaine's, seated between them. Finn had hardly let Blaine out of his sight since the two of them had emerged from the room, and Blaine didn't look like he was complaining. But Finn had kept their interactions public since they'd all converged for dinner, limiting his touch to socially acceptable hugs and a guiding hand on Blaine's back. Kurt smiled at Blaine, at the calm expression on his face and the relaxed posture of his body, and he felt the perfect shiver inside at Blaine's answering smile.  _He's with us again, where he belongs._

They hadn't even seen Mike for more than a few minutes today at all, because Toby had been keeping him busy with preparations for the recital. Kurt would never question Toby's motives, but he wondered if part of that had been to give him and Finn time to reconnect with Blaine without Mike there. For all he professed to be 100% vanilla, Toby seemed to understand a lot about both their poly and their kinky selves. He'd even found Tina a seat right in the front row.

"What's Mike doing for the recital?" Blaine asked, craning his neck to see what was happening backstage.

"The ballet variation he and Toby were working on at the end of the spring," Finn said. Blaine looked surprised.

"Ballet? I didn't even know Mike could do ballet."

"He can now," Kurt said, smiling. "Just wait until you  _see_  what he can do."

Blaine kept his eyes on Kurt as the orchestra stood for the conductor's entrance. Kurt felt him watching. "What?" he asked eventually.

"You," whispered Blaine. "You, with Mike. It's... well. It's interesting to see."

Kurt nodded, trying not to avoid his insightful gaze. "Does it bother you at all? What we're doing, he and I?"

Blaine smiled and shook his head, taking Kurt's hand to mirror the way he held Finn's. "I like Mike. And I trust you."

Jared and Danielle performed their routines before Mike took his turn. Danielle was flawless, but seemed a little cold to Kurt. It reminded him too much of how Blaine had been on stage after his father sent him back to Dalton, alone. Jared, on the other hand, was loose and jubilant, his face conveying layers of emotion even from across the auditorium.

"He's good," said Finn, grinning at Kurt, who nodded in agreement.

Kurt felt a surge of anticipation as he caught sight of Mike in the wings. "There he is," he hissed. Finn's hand tightened on Blaine's.

Mike was bare-chested, his long legs encased in harem style pants, and his expression was almost cold when he took his opening pose. Finn grabbed at Kurt's hand, and Kurt could feel anticipation coursing through the three of them as the music started.

Mike launched into his first set of jumps, flying almost weightlessly through the air and landing with little sound. He looked lithe and graceful, and when he moved to the center of the stage for a series of turns his face had relaxed into a slight smile. Kurt wasn't sure anyone else in the audience noticed, but as Mike prepared to step into the turn sequence that always gave him trouble his breathing caught and he closed his eyes for half a second.

"C'mon, man," Finn whispered next to Kurt. "Just dance it."

Kurt held his breath and gripped Finn's hand tighter. "He can do this, right?"

"Yeah, he can," Finn said, and they both watched in awe as Mike threw himself into the turns, moving low and fast in a large circle on the stage. He repeated the sequence three times before spinning into a string of chaîne turns and ending with a long arabesque before gliding off into the wings.

The audience gave Mike a generous round of applause, but Kurt felt like he was going to float away with pride.  _My boy,_  he thought in a dizzy haze.  _My boy can_ _ **dance.**_

As soon as the house lights came up, Finn was out of his seat and hurrying to the front of the auditorium, mounting the stairs on the side of the stage three at a time. Mike saw him, startled, and barely had time to give him a smile before Finn had him in his arms, kissing him.

"Uh," said Blaine in a hushed tone, gazing at them with wide eyes. "... Wow. If Finn wasn't out before, I think he might be now."

Kurt laughed. "I guess it's good we're going home tomorrow. I think a lot of things are out, now."

"Mike was so good," Blaine said with a little shiver. "You must be so proud of him."

"I am," Kurt answered. He pulled Blaine tight against him. "Are you sure you're okay with all of this? I know it can be hard, when there's someone new."

"I'm fine," Blaine insisted. "Really. If Mike decides he wants this, I'll be happy for him, because I know how good it feels to have what I need."

Kurt kissed the top of Blaine's head. "You're amazing, you know that?"

Blaine just shrugged. "It feels right, bringing Mike into this. Besides, I think I'd like having someone else like me around. You don't need to worry about me." He nodded to the steps to the wings, where Tina was standing and clutching a small bouquet of flowers. " _She's_  the one who's going to need some time and attention while we all figure this out."

"Yeah," Kurt said. He took Blaine's hand and snaked through the crowd to reach Tina.

"T." He put a hand on her shoulder, and she looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"I knew he was good, Kurt. But  _this_? This was incredible!" She was smiling, and Kurt could feel anxiety and excitement pouring off her in waves. "I'm so proud of him!"

"Me, too," Kurt said softly. He wanted to just bolt through to Mike the same way Finn had, but he held back because he didn't want to intrude on Tina's time with Mike. "Go," he told her with a gentle push on her back. "Go ahead, you need to see him, and he needs to see you."

She shot him a grateful look, and he held Blaine close while she made her way to Mike and held out the flowers for him. He watched while Mike leaned over and kissed her, and said something to her.

"I know what you're doing," Blaine said from his side. "It's sweet of you, but you're forgetting something."

"What?" Kurt felt the snap in his words, and he shook his head at Blaine, sighing. "Sorry, I'm not upset, not at you."

"I know," Blaine soothed. "You're forgetting that he needs you, too. And you need him."

"I don't want to be in the way." Kurt gazed at Mike. "His life is already getting so complicated."

"Like things were with me, or you guys and Adam, or Finn and Carl? You deserve it as much as any of us do." Blaine snaked an arm around Kurt's waist with a knowing smile. "What are you so scared of?"

Kurt could have given him a whole list. He knew Blaine would have listened, and understood, and responded with insight and caring, because that was how Blaine always was with Kurt, at least when he wasn't lost in his own difficulties. When Blaine was like this, his best self - which he always was after Finn took care of him - Kurt thought there might not be a better person in the whole world.

He took Blaine in his arms and hugged him tight. "I'll tell you what I'm scared of," he murmured. "But not right now. Now, I'm going to go tell Mike what a fantastic job he did." He kissed Blaine on the cheek and let him go, squeezing his hand. "And you're  _still_  amazing."

**0M0**

"Are you sure Toby doesn't mind giving up his room for a night?" Tina said, settling in against the wall, her feet stretched out across the three-frame acre of bed that Finn, Kurt and Mike had created in their room. "I could just throw a sleeping bag on the floor in here. I feel kind of weird making him find another place to stay."

Kurt snorted at her. "It's no hardship, believe me. He's staying with our friend Darius, and I suspect that they're sometimes more than friends."

Finn almost dropped his cell phone. "He - what? What makes you think that?"

"I have eyes?" Kurt reached over, slipped the phone out Finn's hand and dialed for him before handing it back. "Put it on speaker."

"Yes, sir," Finn said. He dodged Kurt's shove and grinned wickedly. "Hey, what? It's our last night here. Don't I get to say that just one more time?"

"Finn, we really don't need  _another_  brat in this room," Kurt growled, holding out a hand like he was going to swat him.

That prompted a round of mock-scared  _ooooh's_  from Finn and Blaine. Finn propped himself against the wall next to Tina as he waited with the phone to his ear, pulling Blaine down to lie between his legs as though Finn were an enormous, lanky easy chair. Blaine didn't resist at all, just settling in with a happy sigh.

"Enjoy being in charge while you can," Finn said, his smile taking any of the sting out of his words. He reached out a hand and stroked Kurt's face. "I think maybe you - hey!" His voice and his smile changed as he focused on the voice coming from the phone. "Man,  _everybody's_  here. You ready to hear all of us at once?" He stabbed the speakerphone button and laid the phone on Blaine's lap.

" _Everybody who?"_  came Puck's voice from the phone, and Mike laughed. " _Hey, I recognize that one. Dude, Mike, I've been telling everybody for years what good fucks my boyfriends are. Am I right, or what?"_

Mike blushed scarlet, and opened his mouth and closed it three times before just shaking his head.

"I think you broke him," Blaine murmured, touching the phone with one finger, like he was stroking Puck's skin. "Hey."

" _Hey, baby,"_ came Puck's tender reply. " _I bet you're glad to see everybody, huh?"_

"Almost everybody," Blaine said. "Still missing  _you._  But yeah, it's been a long summer, and... I really needed this."

" _They giving you what you need?"_ Puck asked. Tina gave an embarrassed cough.

"You might want to know that I'm part of the everybody tonight, Puck," she said, "before you say something you really didn't mean to say in front of me."

" _Dude. Since when do I worry about what I'm gonna say in front of anybody? And hi, Tina. Welcome to the fucking mess that is the Hudson-Hummel household, on the road."_ Puck sounded amused. They heard a faint babbling, and the word  _papa_  as clear as day.  _"Hang on a sec. I think somebody else wants to say hi."_

"Babygirl," Blaine cooed, leaning closer to the phone. "Can you hear me?"

" _Bwaine,"_  Beth said, matter-of-fact. Hearing her voice, Kurt felt that ridiculous pride that seemed to be triggered only by this fifteen-month-old creature. It made him want to say,  _see? She's a genius_  about every little thing she did.

" _She stacked the cups all by herself today,"_  Puck said.  _"Even the littlest one, and she didn't knock them over. It was fucking awesome."_

"Dude," Finn interjected. "Language around the midget."

" _Sorry,"_ Puck said, not sounding at all sorry.  _"Seriously, Shelby's got a worse mouth than I do. I think Beth's next word might be dickhead."_

" _Head!_ " Beth squealed through the phone, making everybody crack up. Blaine practically had a conniption right in Finn's lap. He finally had to pass the phone to Mike, he was giggling so hard, who held it gingerly in one hand like it might suddenly jump up and bite him. They could all hear Puck laughing.

" _Oh, man_ ," he said, when he could manage a breath. " _The lady at the Brooklyn library storytime makes them sing that stupid head-shoulders song, and now she's trying to do the motions, but she can never find her shoulders!"_

"Okay, this is officially both the cutest and the most depraved group speakerphone call I've ever heard," Tina said, snuggling against Mike's chest.

"You should come over when we're trying to put her to bed sometime," Finn said, rolling his eyes. "It's like a three-ring circus. My mom is the worst - no, wait, I think Kurt's dad is."

" _Say hi to Daddy, babygirl,"_  Puck prompted.  _"Finn, she's totally trying to eat the phone."_

" _Daddy,"_  she crowed, and Finn broke out in a stupid smile.

"Hey, Bethie. You being good for your papa?" Puck snorted, and Finn amended, "Okay, are you being  _one and a half_  for your papa?"

" _That's about more her speed,"_  Puck agreed.  _"But I still haven't heard from everybody. Kurt, you there, or have you lost your Voice? And where's your boy? He never answered my question about how awesome you guys are in the sack. You're not holding out on him, are you?"_

"No," Kurt said. He couldn't help feel slightly uneasy with Puck's playful tone. Even if he knew it was only because Puck hadn't been getting any discipline for the weeks he'd been gone to Shelby's, he was pretty sure Mike wouldn't know that. He didn't want the teasing to push Mike away. "Not holding out." He shot an appealing glance at Finn.

"Puck." Finn's voice came low and sharp, and there was a sudden silence in the room as three boys held their breath at his tone. "Pull it together.  _Now."_

There was a rustling sound, and some indistinct babbling from Beth.  _"Uh, sorry, Mike."_ He sounded sheepish.  _"It's been a long summer for me, too."_

"It's okay," Mike said, his voice soft. He interlaced his fingers with Tina's. "I can- um. I can imagine."

" _Yeah, I bet you can."_  Kurt could hear the strain more clearly in his voice now.  _"Next week, I'll be back, and you and me, we can talk. I think I know how you're feeling, too. Speaking of that, Adam's coming to New York on Tuesday."_

"Who's Adam?" Tina whispered, and Kurt waved a hand at her.

"Complicated," he whispered back. "Later." Then, louder: "You hang in there until Tuesday, sweetheart. We'll be heading home tomorrow. When you talk to him tonight, tell Adam I'll call him tomorrow."

" _Will do,"_  said Puck.  _"Babygirl, say good night to Izzy."_

" _Night, Izzy,"_  said Beth's breathy voice. Kurt's heart did a little two-step when he heard her pet name for him. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed her until he'd heard her speak.  _Part time parenting is harder on the squadron of grown-ups taking care of her than it is on Beth,_  he thought.  _Luckily for her._

"Night night, babygirl. We'd better all say good night, actually. We've got a lot of talking to do, and somebody's probably pretty tired from dancing the hell out of his variation."

" _Dude, what was that about language? Fuck it. I miss you guys like anything. Blaine, baby, you be a good boy for Finn. Tina, don't let Kurt give you any shit. And Kurt -"_

Finn smiled faintly, thumbing off the speakerphone and putting it to his ear, sighing, "Somebody's been saving it up all summer." Into the phone, he said, "I'm pretty sure you've reached your limit." He paused, listening. "Yeah, that's better. I'll take care of you, if I have to tell Kurt to use that lexan Adam sent. The one you didn't tell me about." Another pause, this one a little more tense. "I'm not mad, dude. I know how it is. Trust me, I get it.  _Long_  summer. But still, not an excuse. You'll get what you need." He held the phone up to the room. "Everybody say good night."

"Good night," they all chorused, even Tina. Blaine added a soft, "We love you."

Finn tossed the phone down on the bed with a sigh. "God, it's good to be together again. Being at B-W's been awesome, but... I'm glad to be going home."

Kurt didn't miss Mike's unhappy expression, but he didn't do more than put a hand on Mike's ankle. He knew Mike would talk when he was ready. "That's what we're here to discuss, partly, isn't it? We're going back to Lima tomorrow, and... things are different now."

"You're telling me," Tina said, squeezing Mike around the shoulder. "All I suggested was for you to explore these feelings you were having. I didn't really expect..." She made an expansive gesture at the pile of boys on the three beds. " _This."_

"None of us did," Kurt agreed. "It just sort of . . . happened."

Finn dropped his head back against the wall with a groan. "Things always just sort of  _happen_  to us. Seriously, we've got to stop adding people. There's no more room at the house!"

Mike stiffened. "I don't want to be a problem," he said. It made Kurt's heart break just a little bit.

"Sweetheart, you're not a problem." Kurt reached over to take his hand and hold it between both of his own. "We want this, with you. Finn and I, we want you to be a part of it."

Mike stared at him, a challenge in his eyes. "Then why are you scared?"

Kurt sucked in his breath. "How do you - I tried not to-" he stammered. He felt his calm façade crumbling.

"Just talk, Kurt," Blaine said calmly from Finn's lap. "We're all listening. I think we all understand."

Kurt shook his head and sat in silence for several heartbeats, while everyone else waited for him to say something, to lead. "I'm - I'm the  _Top,"_  he blurted finally."That means I have to be strong."

He heard Finn sigh, and Finn's hand was warm and strong on his neck. "Baby, you don't have to be perfect. None of us need that. We just need you to be you. You give every one of us what we need, just by doing that."

"Even me, when I was freaking out," Tina said.

Blaine shifted toward Kurt, brushing their legs together. "You think we need you to be like Tess or something? That's not you, Kurt. And, really, even she probably needs to have somebody else take care of her sometimes."

"It's not about being perfect," Kurt protested. "Please. It's not like I haven't learned anything since we started doing this. It's just-" he looked from Mike to Tina, and sighed.

"Just what?" Finn pushed a little with his hand, and Kurt let the familiar feeling of warmth and security drift through him.

"I know what I want," Kurt said with wavering confidence. "I just- I don't know what you want." Again, he shifted his gaze from Mike to Tina and back to Mike.

Mike shook his head and looked at his hands. When he spoke, he seemed almost angry. "Again with the talking around things. God, I thought you were all about the communication and the honesty, but I still don't have a freaking clue what you're saying."

"I can't-" Kurt shifted and tried to climb off the bed because his heart was pounding in his ears and his skin was starting to crawl, but Finn was already moving to hold him tight, keep him safe.

"Yes, you can," Blaine said, moving to be next to them and brushing his hand on Kurt's leg. "He's not going to run."

"He might," Kurt said, low, into Finn's shoulder.

"No," Blaine insisted. "He won't."

"And everyone is  _still_  talking about me as though I weren't here!" Mike pushed himself to the edge of the bed and stood, looking around for something. When he found his keys, he jammed them into his pocket. "This is all BS. I gotta- I can't deal with this. I gotta get out of here."

"Mike-" Tina pleaded, but Mike just shook his head.

"Sorry, T. Until someone starts actually telling me things, I can't sit here and listen. It's all I've been doing the whole damn summer, and it's making me crazy." But he didn't leave. He just stood there, breathing hard, arms slack and eyes downcast.

Kurt was still cocooned tightly in Finn's arms, but he spoke quickly and with as much of his Voice as he could muster. " _Michael!_ "

Mike lifted his head, his eyes wide. "What?" he snapped. "Is that just for show, or are you going to actually talk to me?"

"Sweetheart," Kurt soothed, and motioned to the bed. "Come sit."

"No." Mike stood his ground, crossing his arms and glaring at Kurt. "And don't 'sweetheart' me. It's not fair when you do that."

"Why?" Blaine said softly, his gaze keen on Mike. "What does that do to you, when Kurt calls you that?"

Mike backed up against the door and slid down it to the floor. "It's like... he says that, and I can't breathe, and I just want to give in. But I can't  _do_  that."

Kurt watched as Blaine rose from the bed and crossed the room to sit next to Mike, touching his shoulder. "Why not? What's wrong with giving in?"

Mike shrugged. "Nothing, I guess. I just don't know what I'm giving in  _to_."

Tina had been watching and listening in stoic silence, and Kurt was almost shocked when she spoke up. "Would it help if I told you what Kurt and Blaine and Finn showed me this afternoon?"

"I guess," Mike muttered. Kurt relaxed a little as he watched Blaine take his hand, and Mike didn't pull away.

"You need to understand, first," Blaine said gently, "that I belong to Finn, and what you need or want may not look the same as it does for me. But I think you're a lot like me, and you need to know there's nothing wrong with wanting these kinds of things."

"Belong to Finn?" Mike echoed, tasting the words. He paused, staring at his hands. "Kurt called me- um.  _His boy_. Is that- is that like you and Finn?"

"In many ways," Blaine said, and glanced at Tina.

Tina's voice was soft but certain, and Kurt could see the calming effect it had on Mike. "Blaine has a collar, Mike. He wears it when he's with Finn. Kurt said that it helps him remember that he has Finn to take care of him, that he's loved and safe, and that he can let go of the things that are hard for him." Kurt felt a little burst of admiration in his chest that Tina seemed to be rolling with the tide of things fairly easily.

Mike shook his head. "I don't know . . . I don't know if I want that. I mean, I like it when Kurt takes care of me, and that day in the practice room-" He raised his eyes and met Kurt's gaze. Kurt saw the heat there, felt the spark between them. "That was-  _god_ , Kurt. I've never felt anything like that before, and it wasn't just about, um... sex."

"Was that the first time you gave in, gave it all up?" Blaine kept his hold on Mike's hand, but didn't look at Mike at all, almost like he knew that too many eyes on him would shut Mike down.

"I- I guess so?" Mike shrugged, unsure. "I mean, Kurt just took what he needed, and he said all these things, and I couldn't think about anything except what he was telling me."

"Mmmm," Blaine hummed happily. "Subspace. It's so good, being there."

Now Mike looked really baffled. " _What_ -space?"

"Subspace," Blaine repeated. "When you're just there, ready to serve your Top, to do or be whatever he - or she - needs you to be."

"It was so beautiful, Mike," Tina added. "Kurt put the collar on Blaine, and the cuffs-"

"Cuffs?" Mike's eyes were wide, and there was fear there, but Kurt could see that he was intrigued, too.

Blaine circled his fingers around Mike's wrist. "Here, on my wrists. I like them a little tight."

Mike stilled and his breath caught. "I don't think I understand," he protested, but Kurt could tell that he really did, and was just afraid to admit it.

Blaine shook his head reproachfully. "Didn't you guys tell him anything? God. No wonder he doesn't know what's going on."

Mike waved his hand aimlessly in the air. "Hi, still in the room." Tina laughed, but Kurt couldn't quite find it inside himself to laugh along. "And for the last time, will someone just tell me what I am and how I fit?"

Blaine looked at the three of them on the bed expectantly. Kurt wanted to do it, wanted so much to gather Mike in his arms and call him  _my good boy_  and explain everything, but his words were stuck in his throat. He shook his head, and Blaine sighed before turning back to Mike. Kurt felt his disappointment like a knife.  _So much for courage._

"Oh, honey," Blaine told him, still speaking gently. "You're a submissive, like me. And right now, at least, Kurt's your Top. And you could fight it, but it's kind of no use. You need each other."

"I don't think I  _want_  it!" Mike was panicked. "A  _collar_?  _Cuffs_? I'm pretty sure I don't want to deal with all that - "

Kurt didn't even realize he was off the bed until he was crouched on the floor in front of Mike. "No, no, baby. We don't have to do that. Those things, they're not necessary, and I know it's all still new for you. We can go slowly." He put a hand on Mike's cheek, drawing his gaze to face him. Mike's eyes were troubled, but he searched Kurt's, seeking hungrily for  _something._  "But I need to know- please, Mike." He tightened his grip on the side of Mike's neck, and Mike pressed into it, gasping a little. "I need to know if you  _want_  to be my boy? It's okay if you don't, but I need you to be honest with me."

Mike's mouth twisted bitterly. "Like you've been honest with me? You've been thinking about this a long time. It's been on your mind practically all summer. Haven't you?"

Kurt swallowed hard, but he had to be honest. "Yes."

"Then why didn't you just say something?" Kurt had to back away as Mike got to his feet, pacing anxiously in the center of the room. "I would have listened, if you'd laid it all out. I've been walking around every day scared that this was going to end tomorrow, terrified that I'd never be able to feel these things again. I needed you, and you held out on me. And now you want me to trust you with everything?"

"I was scared that if you knew everything, all the things I wanted, it would push you away. And I can't-  _god_ , Mike. I don't think I can let you go. If that's what you want, I'll accept it. But I don't think that's really what you want." Kurt wanted to reach out, grab Mike and pull him close, to soothe him with touch and words, but he held back, giving Mike the space he needed to try to process everything.

"I don't want you to let me go," Mike whispered, after a minute of silence. Kurt heard a little shuddering sigh, and realized after a moment that it had come from himself. Mike went on, glancing across the room to Tina on the bed. "But I don't know how to be your- your  _boy_ , and still be Tina's boyfriend. I mean, I don't think- this thing,being a- a  _submissive?"_  He shook his head, sinking down onto the edge of the bed next to her. "I don't think I can turn that off, T."

"I don't want you to turn it off, Mike," she insisted. "I don't know if I can give you what Kurt does..." She blushed a little and smiled. "At least not yet. But after seeing you guys, today?" She gestured to Finn and Blaine, and to Kurt. "I want to try."

"I have all those books," Blaine piped up from where he was still sitting, back against the door and his knees tucked under his chin. "I know, I know," he said at Finn's twisted up face. "Not everyone likes reading books, but they were helpful when I was new and confused."

"I'll take the books," Mike and Tina said in unison, and they laughed together.

"We could read them together," she said to Mike. "That might be kind of hot."

Mike's energy felt a little less volatile, so Kurt took up the sliver of empty space on his left. He put his hand on the back of Mike's neck, just as Finn had done with him a few minutes ago, and felt Mike's body relax.

"You want this?" he asked, voice low, and watched Mike shiver. "You want to keep this going, however we manage to make it happen, once we get home?"

"Y-yes," Mike stammered. "But- I don't see how? I mean, once we're home... it won't just be like it was here. At home there are all of us, plus more people. And you guys already keep so many secrets. I don't want to be the burden of one more secret you need to hold onto."

"Dude," Finn chuckled, sliding into the space behind Mike and wrapping him up in his arms and legs. "You're not a burden. We want this. We want you, and Tina, to be a part of our lives, in whatever way you want. And you don't have to worry about keeping secrets, man. That's Kurt's job now, to take care of you." He nudged Tina on the shoulder. "And Tina's, I think, when she's ready."

Mike relaxed further against Finn's body, but he was shaking his head. "But it's going to  _have_  to be a secret. If my parents found out - god, it would be  _so_  bad. They're already adamant that I only apply to Ivy League schools, and they don't want to hear about my dancing. They don't approve of anything in my life except my grades."

"Oh, sweetheart," Kurt sighed. "You don't have to tell them. There's no timeline for coming out, either about your sexuality or the kink or polyamory. Lots of poly people, or people in the scene, they never come out publicly."

"I just want them to be proud of me," Mike said sadly, "but I don't think that's possible. After what happened this summer, I know that I can't give up on my dancing. It's too important, and I think I could really be good at it."

Kurt broke into a sudden smile as he hugged Mike. "That's my boy.  _Finally._ "

"Finally what?" Mike asked.

"You're finally starting to see what the rest of us see in you, baby," he said, pushing up to his knees and leaning in to kiss the side of Mike's neck. "I'm so proud of you."

Mike turned his head and kissed Kurt back, full on the lips.

"Oh,  _god,_ " Tina squealed from Mike's other side. "That's  _really_  hot."

Mike turned beet-red and made a noise of protest into Kurt's mouth, but Kurt just laughed, letting Mike squirm away. "Tina!" Mike exclaimed.

"Sorry," she said, a hand on her mouth, looking flushed herself. "I didn't mean to say that, it just... came out?"

"One of the benefits of this kind of relationship," Finn told her in a mock-whisper. He patted her on the back. "Definitely no crime in enjoying it."

"Mike, it's okay," she insisted, as he scooted away from Kurt. "You and Kurt and Finn... it's just, seeing it for the first time, I think, is a little surprising. But it's not bad."

"I know you don't think it's bad, Miss Two Boys Together is So Hot. God, you've only been telling me that since this all started." Mike sounded annoyed, but Kurt watched him lift a corner of his mouth to smile at Tina.

"Mike," she said again, flushing. "It's not about me. So what if I think it's hot that my boyfriend is kissing another guy. This is about you, getting what you need. I want that for you."

Mike reached out for her hand. "Are you really sure? Because I don't want - I don't want to try this and then have you decide that it's too much, because I don't think . . ." he trailed off, and looked around the room at Kurt, and Finn, at Blaine still sitting in front of the door. "I don't think I can let  _any_  of you go."

"Dude," Finn said softly. He reached out a hand and touched Mike's arm with two fingers. "For a guy who barely talks at school, I think you've been doing a pretty amazing job telling us what you need these last couple weeks _._  And believe me, the last thing I want - the last thing me  _or_  Kurt wants - is to  _let you go."_

Tina squeezed at Mike's hand. "And I love you too much to let you go."

"Yeah?" Mike asked, softly.

"Yeah," Tina said. "If something happens and I'm not okay, I'll say something. I'm not a scared freshman with a fake stutter anymore."

"No," Mike said, staring at Tina with such tenderness that Kurt's heart skipped a beat. "You're definitely not that girl anymore."

"See?" Finn's fingers traced a line up Mike's arm along his wrist, and Kurt watched Mike's eyes glaze over a little as he shuddered. "You've got all sorts of people watching out for you."

Mike chuckled. "You, too, huh?"

"Nah," Finn said, grinning back. His fingers grazed Mike's neck. "I'm just  _watching_  you."

He glanced over at Tina just once before pulling Mike into a kiss, just inches from her face. This time she didn't exclaim, but Kurt could see her swallow hard, looking a little faint.  _It might not be bad,_  he thought,  _but that doesn't make it any less intense to see somebody else kiss your boyfriend._  Kurt took her hand quickly, squeezing it.

"Breathe, baby," he whispered into her ear. "And it's okay for you to get turned on."

She dropped her head sideways onto his shoulder. "Will I ever be as relaxed about this as you guys are?"

"It'll take time," he assured her, nudging her flushed face back to watch Finn and Mike, wrapping up in one another. Blaine had moved to the side to make room for Mike, looking completely sanguine, and Kurt reached for his hand. "But yes, I think you will."

Blaine's eyes twinkled at Tina. "Make sure he knows this is okay," he murmured, nodding at Finn and Mike.

She gave a nervous, breathy laugh, eying the two boys. "He looks like he's doing just fine," she said. "I don't think he's thinking about me right now."

"Oh, he is." Blaine sighed. "He's always thinking about you. All he wants to do is be a good boy, for you. You and Kurt, you have to tell him he's good."

"Really?" Her eyes were wide. Blaine nodded solemnly.

"Really. And tonight, he needs it to be you, doing the telling."

"Okay," Tina nodded. Kurt held his breath, felt Blaine squeeze his hand, and they watched together as Tina leaned in and carefully kissed the side of Mike's neck.

Mike groaned, and pulled away from Finn's mouth and hands. "God, T, that feels-"

"Good?" she asked, low and gentle.

"Y-yeah," Mike said, taking a shaky breath.

"It should feel good, Mike. I want you to feel good. I want you to be happy. Do you hear me?"

"I hear you," Mike whispered, and Tina slid a hand to the back of his neck. She shot Kurt a questioning glance, like she wanted to make sure she was doing something right. He nodded at her.

"She's a natural," Blaine murmured.

"Yeah," Kurt said, and he felt kind of proud at Tina's courage.

"I want-" Tina started to say to Mike, and then jumped at the sound of a knock on the door.

Kurt rose, hesitating to interrupt the dynamic of the room, but the knock came again. He approached, putting a hand on the knob. "Who is it?"

"It's Toby," they heard, and Kurt relaxed, smiling. He opened the door wide enough to let Toby see who was in the room, but not wide enough for it to look like an invitation. Toby's eyebrows went right up to his forehead and stayed there, but he didn't comment.

"I'm just checkin' to see if you'll still be needin' my room?" he asked. "It's no skin off my nose either way, but it's getting late."

Kurt glanced at Tina, and she hesitated before making a barely perceptible shake of her head. "I don't think so," Kurt told Toby, watching Mike's shoulders relax at the words. "I think we'll all be just fine here."

"Got it," he replied easily. Then he ducked his head into the room, pushing past Kurt far enough to make eye contact with Mike. "Great job tonight. You got the timing just right. I knew you could do it."

"Thanks," he said softly, smiling at Toby. "That means a lot to me."

He smiled back, then patted Kurt on the shoulder. "If I don't see you guys before you head home tomorrow, drive safe. Maybe you - uh, that is, your whole -" He hesitated, with one more sweep of his eyes over the motley crew arrayed on the bed, before plowing on. "- y'all can come join me and Darius for some barbecue before school starts."

The door closed behind him, and Kurt turned to face the four of them, assessing the size of the three beds. "I'm not sure if we can actually all fit up here," he admitted, "but -"

"But it would be better than splitting us up, tonight," Tina said. She held tight to Mike's hand. "I don't think he should be away from you, Kurt."

"Or you," he agreed. He gazed at Blaine, who'd moved back to sit beside Finn. He knew he didn't have to ask if it was okay with Finn if Mike stayed with them, but Blaine... "I might still be able to catch Toby and tell him we want his room, if you guys want to be alone."

"Kurt," Blaine said, shaking his head and smiling. "It's good. We had all afternoon. Finn wants to be here. We talked about it already. I wouldn't take him away from Mike on your last night together."

Mike's face was still flushed from Tina's kiss, but he glanced, bewildered, between Kurt and Finn. "You really think... this is okay?"

"Yes," they said in unison. Blaine nodded, and Mike looked long and hard at Tina.

"And you're sure, too?" he asked her again.

She kneeled in front of Mike, her hand firm on the back of his neck like it had been before Toby's knock, and pulled their mouths together. They kissed for a few short seconds before Tina pulled away, both of them breathing heavy. "I'm sure," she said, her voice rough. "You're so good, to worry about me, and I'm telling you that I want you to have this. Are you listening?"

Mike swallowed and nodded. "Yes."

"Good . . ." She shot a slightly panicked look to Kurt, but it was Blaine who smiled and mouthed a silent  _go ahead_  to her. "You're... a good boy," she finally whispered, and Mike went boneless into her arms.

"Oh, god, Tina," he whispered into her shoulder. " _Thank_  you."

"Shhh," she hushed him, and tightened her arms around him. He didn't quite cry, but she felt him shaking a little, and he clutched at her shirt until she took his hands and held them in her own. "Did that feel... really, you liked that?"

"He really did," Blaine whispered, when Mike just looked at her helplessly.

"I- I-" Mike stammered, and blinked. Kurt could see that he looked a little dazed, but he felt rooted to the bed, unable to do anything.

Instead it was Blaine who moved again, a tentative hand on Mike's shoulder. "Hey," Blaine said softly. "You've had a really big day. C'mon, let's go get ready for bed." He tugged Mike off the bed, and rooted around in his own bag for a moment before turning a sheepish grin on Mike and waving his toothbrush in the air. "I forgot my toothpaste. Can I use yours?"

Mike shivered, but seemed to settle back into himself a little bit. "Only if you don't care that it's not organic or whatever."

Blaine shrugged. "Toothpaste is toothpaste," he said, and strode to the bathroom, Mike trailing behind.

Tina sat on the edge of the bed, looking a little dazed. "I can't believe I just did that. And he didn't... I don't know. Freak out? Slap me?"

"He won't, because he needs it. He just doesn't always know that, yet." Kurt put his arms around Tina and hugged her hard. "You did everything just right."

Finn stood, pulling the sheets down on the bed. "You guys are all exhausted," he said.

Kurt shot him a look. "And you aren't? I mean, I can only guess what you two did this afternoon."

"Hey, I wasn't the one dancing today. I was just... uh." He glanced at the bathroom with a fond grin. "Okay, maybe I'm a little tired."

Kurt could hear Blaine's voice, unintelligible over the running water, and Mike's easy laugh in response. "I was a little worried about how Blaine would take this," he said to Finn. "This is new for him, too, but he's doing so well."

"This year made him strong, baby." Finn blinked around the tears that always seemed to hit him when they tried to talk about the previous fall. "It's all gonna be fine, I just know it. I think it'll be good, for both of them to have each other. Like, I dunno. Brothers, or something."

Kurt leaned into Finn and sighed happily. "Brothers or something," he repeated.

Tina reached out and touched Kurt's arm. "Family," she said softly.

"Yeah, man. Family. It's like, the  _most_  important thing," Finn said, holding Tina's gaze. "And you guys are a part of it now."

"Part of what?" Blaine asked, Mike on his heels as they came back into the room.

"Family," Finn said, patting the bed. "C'mere, you guys. It's been a long day."

Blaine smiled, but Mike didn't seem to really hear. He stumbled a little as Kurt opened his top drawer and pulled out a clean pair of boxers and a t-shirt, passing them to Mike.

"As much as I hate the idea of asking you to wear  _anything_  to bed," he said, smiling, "you might want to put these on, if we're going to get any sleep. And if you don't want me shocking your girlfriend too terribly."

"I think she'd like to watch," Mike said, "but she's too nervous to tell you that." He paused, and shook his head. "Did I just actually say that?"

"Yeah," Tina said, turning crimson. "Yeah, you did. Now I have  _no_  secrets left!"

"There're still a couple, I'm sure, like-"

"Mike!" Tina interrupted him. "Stop talking! You're too tired to have any filter right now, jeez."

Mike fumbled with the clothes Kurt had handed him, finally just giving up on the shirt and tossing it aside before sliding under the covers. "You're right. Tired. Need to stop talking."

Finn leaned over and gave him a kiss. "Good plan. You'll get your words back in the morning."

"'Night," Mike mumbled, tucking his arms under his pillow with a sleepy sigh.

Tina wriggled out of her shorts and took up the space between Mike and the edge of the bed with a grin. "It's a good thing I'm tiny," she said. "But if I get pushed out of the bed in the middle of the night I'm going to go all vampire on whoever gets pushy."

Kurt laughed. "We could just put you back in that bubble dress. At least then there'd be some padding between you and the floor?"

"Bubble dress? I think I'm missing something here?" Blaine looked back and forth between Kurt and Tina, and Finn, who was holding in silent laughter and muttering  _shower curtain_  over and over.

"I'll tell you all about it on the drive back to Lima tomorrow," Tina said, resting an arm over Mike's still form. "Who's going to be the other side of the sandwich?"

Kurt hesitated, because he didn't want Finn to feel left out, but Finn was right there urging him on.

"Go ahead, man. That way Blaine can be the middle spoon," he said, lying on his side with his back against the wall. "And  _I_  don't have to worry about rolling out of bed!"

There was a lot of wriggling and tussling before all five of them found an equilibrium, but it felt surprisingly comfortable to Kurt. In the dim light from the window, he could see Mike's face, relaxed in sleep. He leaned in to kiss his cheek at the same time Tina did. Their heads collided, and she made a quiet exclamation. "Sorry," she whispered.

"It's okay," he said, rubbing his forehead, grinning. "But... honestly, I don't see us butting heads too often over this one."

"Are you calling me a butthead?" she giggled. She stroked Mike's face, and watched him sigh and shift toward Kurt. "I think you're right, though. I trust you with him. Maybe even more, now."

"Thank you," Kurt said. "That means a lot to me. I promise, I'll take good care of him. We all will."


	7. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

In the end, they were the last ones to leave B-W. Only Toby's car remained, and a blue pickup Kurt assumed belonged to Darius. Kurt stood next to Mike, an arm around his waist, holding him close as they watched Blaine pull out of the parking lot. They could already hear loud music coming from Blaine's speakers.

"Dude," Finn said, sounding exasperated. "Turn that down, okay?"

Tina waved from the passenger seat. She fiddled with the controls, and the volume decreased a few notches. "See you at home," she called with a smile, and Mike waved back. They stood together, the three of them, until the car was out of sight.

"You okay, baby?" Kurt asked, not for the first time that morning. Things were suddenly . . .  _new_  again, with Mike, and still felt a little fragile. Kurt kept needing to check in as much for his own sanity as to be sure how Mike was feeling.

"I think so," Mike said. "There's still a lot to think about. I think- I think the drive home will be good."

"You're probably right," Finn said, wrapping an arm around each of them. "Just don't spend too much time in your head, man. 'Cause that'll only freak you out."

"Yeah." Mike sighed. Suddenly he broke away from Kurt and Finn, heading up the sidewalk. Kurt tried to reach out to grab him, but Mike was fast.

"Go on," said Finn. "I'll get our stuff from the room and be right back."

Mike was already trying to wrangle his bags into his car by the time Kurt caught up to him. "Hey," he called, taking Mike's duffel bag from his hand. "If we're doing this, we have to talk when things are scary."

"It's not scary," Mike said, shaking his head in irritation, "just- it's a lot to process, you know?"

"I do," Kurt said, "and I want you to have the space to do that. I just don't want you to hide from us. I'll do my best not to hide either."

"Promise?" Mike slid his hand into Kurt's, and Kurt squeezed gently.

"Promise, sweetheart. We'll figure it all out." He walked Mike over to his car, and waited for Mike to pop the trunk. He loaded both of Mike's bags in, and closed the lid before reaching out and pulling Mike into him.

"I love you, and Finn loves you. And Tina... god, baby. She's amazing, she loves you so much, and we're all going to be fine." He kissed Mike's jaw, the side of his neck, his cheek, and then very gently on his lips.

Mike yielded, but not without resistance. Kurt could just feel him begin to give in to the kiss, to the need Kurt could feel stirring inside of him. "What do you need, baby?" he asked, pulling away and tasting the salt of Mike's tears on his lips and tongue.

"It's all too much," Mike said, swallowing hard and blinking.

He reached into his pocket for his handkerchief. "I know, I know. And I think you need to let it all go, but we can't do that here. Can you hold on for me? Hold on until we get home?"

"I-I think so," Mike said, dabbing at his cheek with his fingers. Kurt put the handkerchief into his hand, and Mike scrubbed away his tears.

"Good," Kurt murmured. "That's good. We'll see you at home, tonight, and I'll take care of everything."

"Where- you mean you want to meet someplace?" Mike looked at him, hesitating. "I really don't think we can go out, not in Lima, like on a date or anything..."

Kurt shook his head, smiling. "Mike. Honey... we'll see you at  _home_.  _Our_  house. You're part of the family, now, and the house is as much yours as it is any of ours. Blaine said you can even use his room, whenever you need it."

He blinked. A tiny corner of his mouth turned up. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. Now. You should go. It's only a couple of hours, we'll all be okay. But Finn and I both have our phones if you need anything on the drive." Kurt kissed him again, playfully on the tip of his nose, and Mike smiled.

"I- I love you," he said, softly, opening his door and sliding into the car.

"I love you too, man," Finn said, appearing in the space next to Kurt and wrapping his arms around him. "You good to drive?"

Mike shrugged, but he looked calmer. "I don't really have a choice, do I? I'll be fine."

"Yes, you will," Kurt said with a nod. "You're my sweet, brave boy, and you'll be all right. We all will. Drive safe."

He held up a hand as Mike started the car, shifted into gear, and pulled slowly out of the parking lot.

"Do you really believe that?" Finn asked. "Will we all really be okay?"

"I have to believe it," Kurt replied, even though there was a tiny knot of anxiety under his rib cage. "I don't think I could do this, otherwise."

Finn tucked his chin into the space between Kurt's shoulder and neck. "That's because  _you're_  good, Kurt, and brave, and... and I'm so damned proud of you."

"Thank you," Kurt whispered. He let himself feel that certainty from Finn, just for a moment, before slipping from Finn's embrace and taking his hand. "I needed to hear that."

"I think it's time to go home, baby," Finn said, leading him toward the car. "We're ready, now."


End file.
